Mysterious Ways
by Ruby-Jo Grapefruit
Summary: MWPP era. Alice Tyler's final year at Hogwarts isn't going as well as she'd hoped. How's a girl to cope with a stubborn best friend, Death Eater attacks, a psycho uncle, a clueless cousin and various annoying classmates? Lily/James, Remus/OC. NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters in this story except Alice. All the others belong to the fabulous JKR. OK, that over, read and review!

"Alice!"

Alice Tyler turned to see her best friend Lily Evans racing towards her, long red hair dancing in the wind and green eyes sparkling. Alice abandoned her trolley to dash over to Lily and throw her arms around her enthusiastically.

"Lily, _darling_," Alice crooned, throwing her head back dramatically. "SO good to see you again! How was your summer?"

"Let go of me, you idiot," Lily laughed. "People are staring!"

Alice glanced around the crowds of people to see more than one face giving them curious looks. "Fuckem!" Alice announced cheerfully, releasing Lily from the bear hug she had engulfed her with. "Boring old gits, the lot of them."

Lily shook her head in mock despair. The two girls began weaving their way through the packed platform to retrieve Alice's trolley. "So, did you have a good summer?" Lily asked.

Alice pulled a face. "It was alright, but we spent most of it visiting relatives. Screaming kids who kept waking you up at six in the morning only to find they've stolen your wand and replaced your shampoo with green hair dye – it was a bloody nightmare."

Chuckling, Lily heaved her trunk onto Alice's trolley and the two girls made for the train. "Hey, how was your summer anyway, Miss Head Girl?" Alice teased.

Lily laughed. "My summer was good, thanks, although I can't really believe they picked me for Head Girl."

"Why not?" Alice frowned. "You're the perfect choice for Head Girl – smart, sensible, always follows the rules…"

"Oh God, stop it," Lily begged as the girls boarded the train. "I'm not sensible all the time, am I? You don't think I'm boring, do you?"

"Yes, that's the reason I've been your best friend for six years – because you're boring," Alice said, straight-faced. Lily shoved her in mock anger. Alice laughed. "'Course you're not boring, Lils. You're just – _cautious_."

"Oh, thanks," Lily replied sarcastically. "I'm _cautious_? That's the best compliment you can think of?"

Alice glanced around, looking for an escape route. "I can see I'm just digging myself an even deeper hole here," she said with a grin. "I'll shut up."

"Good idea," Lily said. "I've got to go in a minute, anyway – the Head Girl and Boy have to go up to the front of the train."

"Fine." Alice pretended to be hurt. "Just go and leave me all by myself. Abandoned by my best friend – how will I cope?"

"I'm sure you'll survive," Lily remarked dryly. "I wonder who's Head Boy, anyway?"

Alice bit her lip. "Actually, Lily, I do know who it is – but I don't think you're going to like it."

"Why?" Lily frowned. "The only reason I wouldn't like it is if the Head Boy was –"

"ALICE!"

Lily's expression turned icy as James Potter came swaggering over to them, his Head Boy badge clearly visible where it was pinned to the front of his robes. Alice winced, knowing what was coming.

James enveloped Alice in a hug that lifted her off her feet. "How's my favourite cousin?" he asked with a grin.

"If I see her, I'll let you know," Alice teased.

James let go of her and turned to Lily. "Miss Evans," he greeted. "You look ravishing, as usual. How was your summer?"

Lily ignored him and began unloading their trunks into a compartment. "Come on, Evans," James said. "You can't ignore me forever. We're both Heads – we've got to work together."

"Yes, much to my disgust," Lily replied coldly, straightening up. "I'll see you later, Alice." She marched off down the train. James watched her retreating back and when she disappeared, he turned to Alice.

"Al, you've got to help me – I'm desperate," he pleaded.

"Sure," Alice replied. "What do you want me to do – fix your nose? Wait, I know a great spell to make your hair lie flat…"

"You know what I mean," James sighed.

Alice rolled her eyes. "I don't think I'll be able to do anything. If she wanted to go out with you, she would have done three years ago when you first asked her out."

"Please!" James begged. "You've got to try and persuade her to go out with me! Come on – we're family!"

"I know, I can't believe it either," Alice teased. "I mean, how did I turn out so perfect while you're such a pathetic mess?"

One look at James's face told Alice that he wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Fine," she sighed. "I'll do what I can, but don't expect me to work miracles, OK?"

"OK," James agreed hopefully. "Thanks, Alice – you're the best."

"I know," Alice said gravely. James gave her a quick hug before dashing off.

Alice settled down into a seat and tried to think of how she could get Lily to go out with James. It seemed completely impossible. Alice sighed and got up to go and search for the food trolley. Maybe a pumpkin pasty would help her think more clearly.

Before she even got to the door, though, three girls appeared in the doorway. "Alice!" Belinda Gold shrieked.

Alice groaned silently, plastering a fake smile on her face. "Belinda!" she said with mock cheerfulness, stepping into Belinda's overpowering hug.

"How are you?" Belinda asked, shepherding Alice back into her seat. "We haven't heard from you all summer!" She gestured to her friends Jennifer Wheeler and Suzanne Moore, who were hovering behind her.

Belinda, Jen and Suzanne were in Alice's House. Alice shared a dorm with them, much to her annoyance. They were the cliquey, two-faced types of girls who gossiped about everyone because their own lives were so pathetically boring. Alice tried to avoid them as much as she could. It wasn't any wonder that she got along with Lily much better, even though Lily was a Gryffindor and Alice was in Ravenclaw.

"Oh, I've just been really busy," Alice said through gritted teeth as Belinda, Jen and Suzanne took seats opposite her. _Great. Now I'll never get rid of them._

Belinda began jabbering at top speed about what she had been up to in the summer. Alice listened for about thirty seconds, then let her mind wander back to James and Lily. Now that James had asked her to help him, it was all she could think about. Alice was a very stubborn girl, and she never let anything go until she had succeeded. But to get James and Lily together, she needed inside help, from someone who was in Gryffindor.

Alice thought about the girls in Lily's dormitory. She didn't really know any of them very well. Melissa Griffiths and Sophie Carter were too wrapped up in themselves to bother about anyone else. Holly Gordon was quiet – too quiet to be much help. The only other girl left was Dorcas Meadows. She was quite outgoing, quite cheeky – like a female version of James, actually. Alice knew Lily got on with her quite well, but Alice barely knew her.

So who? Alice wondered. Then the answer hit her at once. Of course – who better for inside information that James's closest friend?

"Alice?" Belinda was staring at her curiously, and Alice realised that she hadn't said a word for about fifteen minutes.

Alice stood up. "Sorry, Belinda – I've got to go." She ran to the door and left the compartment, leaving Belinda and her cronies looking stunned. Alice hared off down the train in search for Sirius Black.

Once she was as far away from Belinda and the others as she could get, Alice pulled out the yellowed piece of parchment that she had been hiding inside her robes. "I knew this would come in handy," she grinned to herself. Alice didn't like to resort to blackmail, so she told herself that she wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary.

Alice wandered along the train, pausing briefly to say hello to the only other girl in her dorm who she got along with, Emmeline Vance. "Where could Sirius be?" Alice muttered under her breath as she paused in the entrance to another carriage.

"Are you tired? Because you've been running through my mind all day."

Alice turned at the sound of the voice and saw Sirius standing in the doorway of one of the compartments further down the carriage. She heard a fit of girly giggling coming from the compartment and rolled her eyes. Alice didn't know Sirius that well – even though he was James' best friend, Alice tried to have as little to do with him as possible. In fact, she didn't really like him that much. He was the biggest man-whore she had ever met, and not to mention completely egotistical. She was already starting to regret her decision to enlist his help.

Alice sighed. _You're doing this for James, _she reminded herself sternly. She tucked the parchment back into her robes and marched up to Sirius.

"I wish you were a door so I could bang you all day long," Sirius said cheekily, still peering into the compartment, oblivious to the girl standing right next to him. The girls inside giggled again even more shrilly. Alice almost burst out laughing at the awfulness of that line. _I can't believe girls fall for this bullshit._

"Things must be bad if you've resorted to using chat-up lines as bad as that," Alice commented. "And I thought Sirius Black was Hogwarts' resident girl-magnet." Sirius turned to face her.

"Well, if you've got it…" he said with a grin.

Alice folded her arms. "As interesting as this conversation is, I need to talk to you about something more important."

"OK…" Sirius frowned. "Who are you again?"

Alice raised her eyebrows. His best friend's cousin, and he couldn't even remember who she was! "Alice Tyler," she said pointedly. "James' cousin?"

"Oh, yeah," Sirius said, seeming to cotton on. "Ravenclaw, right? Evans' friend?"

"That's right," Alice said briskly.

"So, what's up?" Sirius asked.

Alice glanced around and saw Belinda and her cronies heading in their direction. She quickly grabbed Sirius' arm and yanked him into an empty compartment before shutting the door.

"If you wanted me so badly, all you had to do was ask," Sirius said with a grin, seeming unable to resist the opportunity to flirt.

"Cut the crap," Alice said, folding her arms. Sirius's stupid come-ons didn't impress her. "It's about James."

"James?" Sirius frowned.

"It's about James and Lily, actually," Alice said. "You know they're Head Boy and Girl this year, right?"

"_James _is Head Boy?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I couldn't really believe it either," Alice admitted. "But that's not the point. The point is, James has asked me – well, emotionally blackmailed me, actually, by playing the family card – to help him to get Lily to go out with him."

Sirius snorted. "She's turned him down hundreds of times. Why would she change her mind just because you say so?"

"Because she's my best friend," Alice pointed out. "I can be pretty persuasive when I want to. Now that they have to work together, Lily has to talk to him at least. I figure that maybe that will give me an opportunity to help them hook up."

"So?" Sirius asked.

"Well, I can't monitor them all the time, because I'm not in Gryffindor," Alice said. "So that is why you are going to help me."

"I _am _going to help you?" Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Are you ordering me around?"

"Yes." Alice smiled sweetly.

Sirius folded his arms. "What's in it for me?" he asked with a wink.

Alice wasn't in the mood for this. Sirius's selfishness and utter uncooperativeness was really starting to get on her nerves. Alice pulled out the piece of parchment she had brought along with her out of her robes.

"I didn't really want to resort to this, but you've left me no choice," she told Sirius. Sirius watched curiously as Alice pulled out her wand, touched the parchment and recited, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Words began to form on the parchment, but Alice wasn't looking at them. She was looking at Sirius as his expression turned from curiosity to shock.

"Where did you get that?" Sirius demanded, sounding horrified.

"I 'borrowed' it from James this summer," Alice shrugged. "Didn't take me long to figure out how to use it." She touched the parchment with her wand again, said, "Mischief managed," and folded it back up again. "Am I correct in assuming that you _don't _want this confiscated?" Alice asked innocently, stowing it back inside her robes.

"This is blackmail!" Sirius protested angrily.

"Call it whatever you like," Alice shrugged. "To me it's called being resourceful."

"If you hand that in, James will get into trouble too," Sirius reminded her.

"Well then, help me," Alice replied. "Would it kill you to try and get your best friend together with the girl he's been in love with for three years? Do you not want to see James happy?"

"Of course I want to see James happy," Sirius snapped. "I just don't see why I've got to help _you_."

This comment greatly annoyed Alice. He didn't even know her and already he was judging her! "Yeah, well, I'm not exactly happy about it either," Alice retorted. "But there's no other way round it, is there? There's no way _you_ could persuade Lily to go out with James, but I need someone who's in Gryffindor to… _oversee _everything. Besides, you haven't really got much of a choice, have you?"

If looks could kill, Alice would have been six feet under. Sirius glared at her for a few moments, then spoke. "Fine," he said angrily. "I'll help. But I'm only doing this because I'm sick of hearing James whine on about Lily all the time. I'm _not _doing it to help you!"

"Fine with me," Alice said huffily. She flung open the compartment door and marched out, leaving Sirius alone.

_Stubborn, conceited, bullying prat! _Alice thought crossly to herself as she stormed down the carriage, scattering a couple of scared-looking first years on her way. _How could someone so good-looking be such a – a – GIT!_

It took Alice a moment to realise she had thought of Sirius as good-looking. "Oh great. Now I really am cracking up," she muttered dismally to herself.

"Alice, darling!" Alice glanced around and saw Belinda motioning her over.

_Great. Just when I thought I was rid of her. _Alice approached Belinda cautiously.

"Sweetie, I saw you talking to Sirius Black," Belinda said excitedly, fanning her face with one hand. "Isn't he just _delicious_?"

Alice's eyebrows shot almost up to her hairline. "_What_?"

Belinda smiled delightedly. "Now that you two are so tight –" She glanced around to check that no one was listening and leaned forward to whisper in hushed tones. "- Would you be able to put in a good word for me?"

"Belinda, we are not _tight_," Alice protested. "I had one conversation with him, that's all! It wasn't even a conversation, actually – it was more of an argument."

Belinda's face fell. "Oh," she said in a disappointed voice. She opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could say anything, they were interrupted by a loud commotion from the front compartment. There were a few raised voices, followed by someone storming out of the door, shoving past people in their effort to get away.

Alice looked up just in time to see the person was Lily, hiccuping with tears as she tore down the carriage. Alice didn't think twice. She ran after Lily, pushing a shocked looking Belinda out the way. She vaguely heard James call, "Lily, wait! I'm sorry!" but she didn't stop – James would have to wait.

Alice dashed after Lily as she fled into a compartment, slamming the door behind her so hard that the glass shattered. Alice pulled out her wand, muttering "_Reparo_," before knocking on the door.

"Lily? It's me – can I come in?"

There was no sound except for muffled sobs. Alice took that as a yes and opened the door.

Lily was collapsed on one of the seats, her knees pulled up to her chest and her head buried in her arms as sobs racked her body. Alice went over and put her arms round her, rocking her gently. Eventually Lily's crying subsided and she raised her head to look at Alice through bloodshot eyes.

"What did he do, Lily?" Alice asked softly.

Lily rubbed her eyes. "Oooh, that James Potter," she said savagely. "He's the most insensitive, emotionally challenged PIG I've ever met."

Alice laughed. "I couldn't agree more. But I have to be nice to him, because he's family."

Lily looked a bit shamefaced. "I'm sorry, I know he's your cousin, but I can't stand him!"

"It's OK," Alice said. "Half the time I can't either. So what did he do to make you this angry?"

"He criticised absolutely _everything _I did," Lily said angrily. "Every suggestion I made, he acted like I was talking complete crap and that his were the only opinions that mattered. When I said that some of the chairs in our common room were a bit flimsy, he told me that I needed to l-lose some weight…"

Alice winced as Lily's voice broke and she sounded like she was on the verge of breaking down again. "Lily, just ignore him," Alice said, hugging Lily hard. "He's a boy, remember? They make totally insensitive comments like that. That's just what they do."

"I suppose," Lily said in agreement.

"Plus, he's talking complete shit," Alice added, releasing Lily. "You have an absolutely perfect figure and you don't need to lose an _ounce_."

Lily smiled. "Thanks, Al," she said with a sigh.

"So was that all he said?" Alice asked.

"Well, when I started yelling at him for that, he said I was behaving like a stupid little child, and that I was too uptight that I couldn't even take a joke." Lily balled her hands into fists and she spoke furiously. "He told me that I was too completely wrapped up in myself, acting like Little Miss Perfect, that I couldn't see that I might be wrong for once."

Alice groaned inwardly. _Way to make a girl fall for you, James._

"OK, he may have acted like a dumbass," Alice said. "But he was just being a guy. I'm sure he feels really terrible about it. If you give him a chance to apologise –"

"No." Lily folded her arms crossly. "I don't give a shit if he apologises or not. I'm sick of putting up with him. I don't ever want to see him again."

_That's just great. _Alice made a mental note to kill James as soon as possible. "C'mon, Lil, you've both got to work together," she said coaxingly. "Why don't you just –"

"_No._" Lily's voice was firm. "I don't care if we're both Heads. I'll resign or something. I don't even want to be in the same room as him."

The door suddenly opened and James came in. "There you are," he said breathlessly. "Lily, I –"

Lily stood up and faced James. "Get out," she spat.

"No – just listen," James pleaded.

"I don't want to listen, James!" Lily yelled. "I don't care what you have to say! You're never going to change, are you? You're a conceited, detestable bully and you always will be!" With that, Lily turned to leave, her eyes blazing.

Just before she reached the door, Lily turned and said her final words, which held more venom than when she had shouted. "You disgust me, James Potter," she said coldly. "Don't ever talk to me again."

Alice cringed as the full impact of Lily's words washed over them. She watched as Lily swept from the room, then turned to look at James's face, which was filled with hurt and anguish. Slowly, James sat down, groaning with his head in his hands.

_Fanbloodytastic, _Alice thought dully. _What a great year this is going to be._

Lily was cold and silent for the rest of the journey, even towards Alice. Alice, as usual, felt torn in two. She felt loyal towards Lily as she was her best friend, but James was her cousin, even if he was a bit stupid – OK, a _lot_ stupid – at times.

"Lily, you can't avoid James forever," Alice pointed out after the Sorting was over and the two girls were walking back to their common rooms. "You're in the same lessons together, not to mention the same House. You're going to have to talk to him sooner or later."

"No I don't," Lily replied. "I never plan to be alone with him again, so there's no reason why I should."

Alice couldn't believe that Lily was being so stubborn. Lily was normally the sort of person who lost her temper easily, but then forgot about it the day after. Of the two of them, _Alice _was the one who held grudges. She supposed James was a special exception for Lily.

"Won't that be really awkward?" Alice asked, at a last pathetic attempt to change Lily's mind.

"No," Lily said patiently, stopping as they reached the Gryffindor portrait hole. "Actually, it will be a refreshing change. I should have done this years ago. In fact, to me, James Potter no longer exists."

Alice waited until Lily had waved goodbye and climbed through the portrait hole. "We'll see about that," she said aloud, carrying on down the corridor. "You may be stubborn, Lily Evans, but so am I!"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The plot belongs to me. Everything else is JKR's. :-D 

"Lily, you _can't _just resign!" Alice begged.

The two girls were eating breakfast by the lake. There was no rule that students had to sit at their House tables, but Alice and Lily preferred the calmness of outside to the loud chatter of the Great Hall. Belinda and her cronies protested about this – they said Alice was being disloyal to Ravenclaw, but Alice ignored them. She wasn't being disloyal to Ravenclaw; she was being loyal to Lily.

It was two days after the incident on the train and so far Lily was sticking to her word. Much to Alice's surprise, she had done a spectacular job of avoiding James – in fact, James was so depressed about it that he almost seemed suicidal. He had cornered Alice the other day and practically fell on his knees begging her to get Lily to talk to him. Alice had insisted that it was completely impossible, but James had kept pestering her until Alice grew so sick of hearing him whining on and on that she had agreed to talk to Lily again. So far, she was fighting a losing battle.

"Watch me," Lily replied, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

_I'm not giving up that easily, do don't even think about it, Lily Evans, _Alice thought to herself. She paused to take a bite of toast and swallowed before continuing.

"But it's the first meeting of the prefects tonight, and you know the Head Boy and Girl have got to be there," Alice reminded her.

"I'll go to Dumbledore after breakfast." Lily didn't make eye contact with Alice. She had propped the Daily Prophet up against her goblet and was reading it intently while she buttered her toast.

Alice snatched the newspaper away. "Hey!" Lily protested.

"They're not going to be able to get a replacement Head Girl in time," Alice pointed out, ignoring Lily's objections. "If you're going to quit, can't you just wait until tomorrow?"

Lily yanked the newspaper from Alice's hand. "Alice, I meant what I said before," she frowned, smoothing out the crumpled pages. "I don't want to speak to James ever again."

Alice folded her arms. "OK, fine. Maybe you don't want to speak to James, but why give up your position as Head Girl? You've _earned_ that place, Lily. I thought it was something you wanted. Why throw that away because of some stupid boy?"

Lily sighed. "Alice, I was so pleased and proud when I found out I was Head Girl. I made up my mind that I was going to turn the school around – I spent the whole summer planning the changes I was going to make. I wanted to be the best Head Girl ever. Then I arrive on the train and find out that James Potter is Head Boy. Mr I Think I'm God's Gift _James Potter, _who has been the bane of my existence ever since I started at Hogwarts. That got me thinking, why did Dumbledore choose such a prat to be Head Boy? Maybe it wasn't such a great honour after all if Dumbledore would choose somebody like that. To put me in the same rank as James Potter is like a complete slap in the face. I don't want to do it any more. I know he's your cousin and so you feel like you've got to stick up for him, but there's nothing you can do to persuade me. Someone else can be Head Girl, because I'm quitting." Lily went back to reading her paper, signalling that the conversation was over.

Alice threw up her hands. "Fine! If that's what you want, then fine."

"It is," Lily said quietly.

"We'll see about that," Alice muttered under her breath, getting up from where she was leaning against a tree.

"Where are you going?" Lily asked.

"To the bathroom," Alice replied. "I'll see you in Transfiguration, OK?"

Alice pushed open the doors and entered the castle, glancing around the corridor to check it was empty. Once she had acknowledged that it was all clear, she began striding purposefully down the corridor. But she wasn't heading for the bathroom – she was heading for Dumbledore's office.

Alice stopped when she reached the stone gargoyle. The last time Alice had been to Dumbledore's office was in her sixth year, after a nasty incident between her and a Slytherin girl who had called Lily a Mudblood, in which she had made purple boils sprout all over the girl's face. Alice wasn't sure whether the password had changed or not.

"Fizzing Whizzbee," Alice said. The gargoyle didn't move.

_Great. _"Sugar quill," Alice tried again. The gargoyle remained stationary. Alice quickly began reciting all the confectionery she could think of. "Cockroach cluster, Chocolate Frog, Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans…"

"Miss Tyler?"

Alice spun around to see Dumbledore standing next to her.

"Oh, Professor…" Alice stammered, embarrassed in case Dumbledore thought she was trying to break into his office. "I was just – I mean – I wanted to talk to you."

Dumbledore was watching her with an amused look on his face. "You won't get into my office with any of those passwords, I'm afraid," he said, his blue eyes twinkling over his half-moon glasses. "As of late, I've had rather a fondness for Muggle sweets." He turned to the gargoyle and said, "Mint humbug."

The gargoyle sprang to life, and moved to let them through. Dumbledore ascended the spiral staircase, with Alice following. Dumbledore led Alice into his office and sat down.

"Well, Miss Tyler, what can I do for you?"

Alice bit her lip. She wasn't really sure how to put it. Dumbledore waited patiently while Alice thought about what she wanted to say.

"Professor, can someone resign as Head Boy or Girl if they wanted?" Alice blurted out.

_Oh, well done. That was subtle. _Alice inwardly kicked herself as Dumbledore surveyed her quietly.

"Of course. If it is their true desire to resign, then they may."

Alice's heart sank. She began pacing up and down. "This is all James' _bloody _fault, if he hadn't been so _stupid_…"

"Is something the matter, Miss Tyler?" Dumbledore asked, looking amused.

Alice stopped abruptly. She had completely forgotten that Dumbledore was in the room too.

"Sir, Lily wants to resign as Head Girl," Alice said bluntly.

Dumbledore's voice was calm. "And why would Miss Evans want to do that?"

"It's just… _something_… that James said." Alice didn't really want to go into detail; she didn't want Dumbledore to know all the things James had said to Lily. "Professor, Lily's never liked him that much –" _Ha! Understatement of the year. _"- But it was kind of the last straw for her when she found out he was Head Boy. Professor – I was just wondering – why did you choose James?"

Dumbledore was silent for a moment. Alice gulped, wondering what was coming. She hadn't meant to blurt that out, it had just sort of escaped from her mouth before she knew what was happening.

Dumbledore sighed heavily, and got up from his chair. He walked over to one of the portraits on his wall and stared at it for a while. Alice took this as her cue to leave, but just before she could slip out of the door, Dumbledore spoke again.

"I don't know for sure, but I have heard things which worry me greatly. Dark times are ahead, Miss Tyler. Voldemort is already gathering followers. Our list of people to trust is growing thin."

Alice shuddered. Just the sound of his name made a cold chill run up and down her spine. She had heard about Lord Voldemort from her parents – about how he was turning to the dark side and wanted control over the wizarding world. Her parents had said that Voldemort wanted to rid the world of Muggles and Muggle-born wizards, which made Alice fear greatly for Lily and her family.

"I have no intention of letting Miss Evans resign her position as Head Girl," Dumbledore continued. "For I do not believe it is what she truly desires. It is at times like these when we need to work together and depend on each other to get through the dark times. No one is truly safe."

Dumbledore closed his eyes and didn't say any more. Alice decided that it was time to go. She pushed the door open to leave, but just before she could step outside, Dumbledore spoke again.

"Keep your real friends close, Miss Tyler. Stay close to Miss Evans."

Alice glanced back. Dumbledore was looking straight at her. His eyes, usually bright and piercing, were now dull and full of sorrow. Some of the light seemed to have left them.

As she descended the stairs, Alice's mind whirled with questions. What exactly was Voldemort planning? Was the school in danger? Was _Lily _in danger?

Instead of feeling relief that Lily couldn't quit as Head Girl, Alice was even more worried than when she had entered Dumbledore's office. She walked to Transfiguration in a sort of daze and found that she was the first one there. Alice busied herself with sorting out her books in an effort to keep her mind off the words that kept replaying in her mind. _Our list of people to trust grows thin… no one is truly safe._

_Shut up! _Alice commanded herself. It was a relief when, ten minutes later, Lily came storming in, her green eyes blazing and a look of anger on her face.

"Lils, what's up?" Alice asked, grateful for the distraction, even if her best friend did seem ready to flay someone to within an inch of their life.

"Dumbledore says I can't resign." Lily slammed her book savagely onto the table before sitting down moodily next to Alice. "He was going on about how we needed inter-House friendship and that we need each other to get through the dark times. I don't even know what he was talking about!"

Alice bit her lip. Lily had been travelling with her parents all summer, and as they were Muggles, they weren't up to date on what was happening in the wizarding world. Alice debated whether to warn Lily about Voldemort, but then decided not to. _She's got enough on her plate at the moment. She doesn't need to be worrying about that too._

Alice opened her mouth to speak again, but she was cut off by the rest of the students coming in, followed by Professor McGonagall. She looked at James' hopeful expression and shook her head, feeling slightly guilty. James slumped into a seat about three rows behind Alice and Lily, with a look of despair on his face. Alice couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He didn't seem like the old, arrogant, I'm The Best Thing On Two Legs James any more.

Alice tried to take her mind off things by concentrating on the lesson. Being a Ravenclaw, she was very conscientious about her schoolwork, especially Transfiguration, which was her best subject. Much to her delight, she was the first one in the class to successfully Transfigure a chair into a chimpanzee, earning her ten points for Ravenclaw. Alice's bad mood had almost completely dissolved until she felt something hit her in the back of the head.

Alice spun around to see Sirius Black smirking at her. Scowling, Alice twisted in her chair to pick up the wadded up ball of paper and opened it.

Judging by the expression on Lily's face, you haven't managed to convince her that James is a good guy yet. I thought you could be "pretty persuasive when you want to"? You must be losing your touch, Tyler!

Alice looked at Sirius' grinning face and was briefly tempted to hex him into oblivion. However, she didn't want to lose the House points she had just earned. She settled for writing a scathing note back.

_For your information, _Black_, I have convinced Lily _not _to resign as Head Girl. As for getting her to be civil to James, I'm working on it, which is a hell of a lot more than what you've been doing._

Deciding not to add that Dumbledore was the one who had refused to let Lily resign and not her, Alice folded up the piece of paper and chucked it in Sirius' direction. Much to her annoyance, it didn't hit him in the face like she'd been intending, but landed on his desk.

Alice turned back round in her seat and almost jumped out of her skin. Professor McGonagall was standing directly in front of her, with a stern look on her face. "Miss Tyler, I would hate to have to take those points away from Ravenclaw," McGonagall said in a crisp voice. " But as it is the second day of term, I am feeling mellow. Can you and Mr Black please have your private conversations _outside _my lessons, not during!"

Alice felt a blush form on her cheeks as McGonagall glared at her. "Yes, Professor," Alice muttered. McGonagall marched away as Lily shot Alice a sympathetic look.

Alice buried her head in her arms. If there was one thing she hated, it was being told off and publicly _ridiculed _by teachers. Well, all teachers except that pervert Professor Slughorn, who Alice honestly didn't give a shit about.

_Stupid Sirius Black, _Alice thought bitterly. _This is his bloody fault. Who needs his help, anyway? _So far he had been about as useful as a chocolate kettle. Alice decided that she didn't need him. She was doing fine by herself.

The rest of the day passed much too slowly for Alice's liking. Transfiguration and Charms were the only two lessons Alice had with Lily, so for the rest of the day Alice had to put up with Belinda's bitching about all the other girls in their year and her squawkings about how cute Sirius was. Alice had to keep resisting the urge to slap the bitch.

When dinnertime finally rolled around, Alice bolted down her food as quickly as she could so she could talk to Lily before she went off to the Prefects' meeting. Just as she was getting up from the table, Belinda grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back into her seat.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Belinda asked curiously.

"Just to see Lily," Alice replied. _Oh, for God's sake, what do you want now?_

"Listen, Alice, I know you said you're not friends with Sirius, but since James is your cousin and all, could you ask him to sort of – _mention_ me to him?" Belinda giggled.

For the life of her, Alice couldn't see why Belinda wanted to go out with Sirius. He was infamous for sleeping with girls and then dumping them the next day.

_Well, Belinda is one of those girls who only care about looks. _"Sure, whatever," Alice said distractedly, craning her neck over to the Gryffindor table. She spotted Lily waving her over and jumped up. Without even saying goodbye to Belinda, Alice dashed over to join Lily and the two girls left the hall.

"Having an interesting conversation with Belinda?" Lily asked with a grin.

Alice groaned. "Don't remind me. She's been hounding me all day, trying to get me to set her up with _Sirius_."

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Those two deserve each other. They've both got about as much depth as a puddle."

Alice nodded in agreement. "You got that right. So, what time's the meeting?"

A sour expression appeared on Lily's face. "I've got to go in a minute. I can't believe Dumbledore didn't let me quit."

"Yeah, but did you really, truly _want _to quit?" Alice asked, remembering what Dumbledore had said.

"Well… no," Lily admitted grudgingly. "I just don't want to work with James."

"Come on, Lily, you've got to make the best of it," Alice coaxed. "Just give him a chance to apologise, at least."

Lily smiled sheepishly. "I did lose my temper a bit on the train, didn't I?"

"Just a bit," Alice grinned. "But you were justified, and he did deserve it."

"Well, he needed to be taken down a peg or two," Lily shrugged. She looked at her watch. "I'd better go. I'll see you later, OK?"

"Good luck," Alice called as Lily sprinted off down the corridor.

Alice started off in the opposite direction, wondering where she could hide from Belinda. Just as she rounded another corner, Alice spotted James, Sirius, Remus and Peter coming down the corridor. Alice pounced on James at once.

"James, I don't even think I need to remind you that the last time you talked to Lily, you completely blew it." Alice raised her eyebrows.

"I didn't mean to!" James protested. "I only said all that stuff because I like her so much! It just sort of – slipped out."

Alice pretended to be shocked. "If only there was something in our heads to control the things we say!"

"You know what I mean," James grumbled.

"Actually, I don't. I'll never understand the logic of you boys," Alice said, shaking her head.

"Really? I thought you knew everything, Tyler," Sirius said with a smirk.

Alice glared at him. How dare he suggest that she was a Know-It-All! She was about to make a sarcastic comment back but James hastily put himself between them.

"Alice, help me. What can I do?" he pleaded.

"Well, you can't expect too much too soon," Alice said, turning her attention back to James. She couldn't be bothered to get into a slanging match with Sirius right now. "I mean, it's going to be hard work getting Lily to be _civil_ to you, let alone fall in love with you. So, at the prefect meeting tonight, _don't _insult Lily – but don't hit on her either."

"So if I'm not insulting her and not hitting on her – what am I going to be doing?" James asked, looking puzzled.

Alice sighed. God, he was so clueless! "Just have a normal conversation with her. Listen to what she has to say. If she says something you don't agree with, don't shoot it down immediately – just talk to her and tell her why you don't think it's a good idea. Oh, and none of this showing off trying to impress her either – it just makes you look bigheaded."

James didn't look convinced, but he nodded. "But what if she won't talk to me?"

"Don't be pushy," Alice advised him. "Wait for her to speak first. She's got to talk to you sooner or later. Then just act friendly – but not _too_ friendly."

James scratched his head, looking confused. Alice sighed. "Look, just be nice without making a move on her, OK?" Alice spotted Belinda coming down the corridor and said hastily, "I've got to go – I've got loads of homework."

She dashed off down the corridor, not wanting Belinda to catch her with Sirius again and start begging her to see if he was interested. She had enough to sort out with James' romance problems, let alone Belinda's. It was also true what she had told James – she _did_ have a lot of homework, and she didn't want to get behind on the second day.

Deciding that it would be safer in the library than in the common room, Alice turned right and headed straight for the library doors. Madam Pince, the librarian, gave her a dirty look as Alice banged the door shut a little harder than she had intended.

Alice winced. "Sorry," she muttered, before heading to the back of the library and sitting down in her favourite chair. Hardly anyone ever came down there, so Alice was in no danger of being interrupted.

Alice took out her parchment, quill and ink and began to write. She had been there for almost an hour when Lily came in and flopped down in a seat next to her.

"Thought I'd find you here," Lily said.

Alice ignored her for a moment while she continued to scribble. "Done!" she said at last, finishing her Potions essay with a flourish. She turned to Lily and studied her intently, trying to figure out whether the meeting had gone well or not. However, Lily's expression was unreadable.

"So?" Alice asked, putting down her quill and propping her chin in her hand.

"So what?" Lily asked.

"How did it go?"

"How did what go?"

"Hello?" Alice waved a hand in front of Lily's face. "The meeting, tonight?"

"Oh, that." Lily leaned back in her chair, twirling a lock of hair round her finger. "It was… OK."

Alice frowned. Lily's face stayed neutral. "Does that mean good or bad?" Alice asked finally.

"I dunno… it was just OK." Lily continued playing with her hair.

Alice sighed. _I'm going to have to spell it out. _"Did you talk to James?"

"Sort of." Lily shrugged.

"And?" _This conversation is just going in circles!_

"And… I don't know – he didn't seem like the _old _James. I mean, I told myself I would let him apologise to me and that would be it. I wasn't going to forgive him that easily, but he said he was sorry and that he acted like an idiot, and I did feel a bit bad after that. Anyway, I accepted his apology."

"That's good!" Alice said, feeling very triumphant. "What about the rest of the meeting?"

Lily frowned. "I don't know – it was strange. James was actually – _polite. _I actually had a civilised conversation with him, and he actually listened to me for once. He didn't continually ask me out, either. He was – _nice_."

Lily looked so puzzled that she had just described James as nice that Alice burst into peals of laughter. Lily grinned sheepishly.

"So, are you two friends now, then?" Alice asked when she had stopped laughing.

"I didn't say I liked him," Lily said quickly. "He's probably just feeling guilty and he'll be back to his old self tomorrow."

"Maybe." Alice shrugged and smiled secretly to herself. _Well done James! For once in your life you took my advice._

"Ahem." Alice and Lily looked up to see Madam Pince hovering over them, arms crossed. "The library closed five minutes ago," Madam Pince said sternly. "You can gossip in your dormitories. Hurry up and get out!"

Alice and Lily jumped up and scurried out of the library, giggling, with Madam Pince flapping and shooing them. Once they were outside, Alice hugged Lily goodnight and made her way back to Ravenclaw tower.

_Please don't let Belinda be back yet, _Alice prayed as she reached the entrance. The Ravenclaw tower was through a stone archway with a small stone door, concealed by two suits of armour holding their swords at a cross over the door.

Alice recited the new password: "Knowledge is power." The suits of armour sprang to life and moved their swords out of the way. The door sprung open and Alice ducked through the archway and climbed the stone steps that led to the common room.

The Ravenclaw common room was in the shape of a circle. It was a large, cosy room with a flickering fire at the far end and comfortable armchairs dotted here and there. Around the room were secluded alcoves. In each of these alcoves was a small wooden table and two chairs, for a person to study individually or with someone else.

_Great, _Alice groused to herself as she saw Belinda, Jen and Suzanne sitting on one of the sofas, doing each other's hair. When Alice came in, Belinda squealed and jumped up at once to greet her.

"Alice, come and sit down!" Belinda said enthusiastically, dragging Alice over to the sofa.

Alice forced a smile. "Actually, Belinda, I –"

Belinda carried on chattering before Alice could finish her sentence. "So, what did James say when you asked him?"

"Asked him what?" Alice frowned, wondering what Belinda was talking about.

"Derr!" Belinda waved a hand in front of Alice's face. "About Sirius, of course."

"Oh, that." Alice vaguely recalled her one-sided conversation with Belinda at dinner. "I didn't ask him yet. I didn't really get the chance." _Not that I would anyway._

"Al-ice!" Belinda whined, plonking herself down on the sofa. "You've got to do it soon. Boys like that don't stay single for very long, you know."

"Yes, well, not if you're such a playboy that you sleep with any desperate whore that comes along," Alice muttered under her breath.

"What?" Belinda asked.

"Nothing," Alice said quickly. She faked a yawn. "Look, Belinda, I'm really tired, OK? We'll talk tomorrow."

"But –" Belinda began, but Alice cut her off by hurrying towards the stairs and heading for the dormitory.

"That girl does not know when to quit," Alice murmured as she changed into her pyjamas.

Alice wasn't tired, so she took her copy of _Hogwarts: A History _from her chest of drawers and began to read. After a time she heard footsteps on the stairs, so she quickly put the book away, drew the curtains around her bed and pretended to be asleep.

_Hopefully I'll be the first one awake and be able to get down to breakfast before her, _Alice thought to herself as she heard Belinda and the others come in. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long. I moved house last month and have only just got the Internet sorted. Chapters will be up a lot faster now (hopefully!) Thanks to honeyelle for beta-ing and Flutterby Princess for reviewing.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **The characters and settings are JKR's, I'm just playing with them for a while. :-D

Much to her delight, Alice was the first one awake the next morning. She showered and dressed as fast as she could, ran a brush through her long dark hair, and made her way down to the Great Hall.

_That must be the fastest I've ever got ready, _Alice mused to herself as she entered the Great Hall. Besides her, there were only seven or eight more people in there. As she walked past the Gryffindor table, she saw Melissa and Sophie whisper to each other, look at her, and then burst out laughing.

_OK, that's weird. _Alice eyed them uneasily as she passed, her hand automatically reaching towards her cheek. _Have I got something on my face? Is there something wrong with my hair?_

Alice grabbed her hand mirror out of her pocket and frantically checked for any offending pimples or kinks. However, she could find nothing so awful that it could be the source of mockery.

_Oh, well. I suppose being complete bitches is all they know. _Alice grabbed a stack of toast from the Ravenclaw table and headed toward the tree next to the lake.

Alice looked up at the sky dubiously. The weather was starting to get colder and it looked like it was going to rain. Soon she and Lily would have to start sitting inside.

Alice took a bite of toast and watched a couple of sixth-years walk by. One of them pointed at Alice and the two of them laughed.

Alice frowned. _What is going on with everyone today? _She doubled-checked her reflection in the mirror, but still there was nothing wrong.

Alice began feeling very self-conscious as more people walked by, staring at her. She was just about to get up and leave when Lily flew over, completely out of breath.

"What's up with you?" Alice asked.

Lily sat down, huffing and puffing, and grabbed some of the toast. She took a bite and chewed slowly, her breathing becoming steadier. Alice waited impatiently for her to finish. Finally Lily swallowed and glanced around cautiously.

"Lily, what's up?" Alice inquired again. She noticed a second-year Gryffindor pass by and smirk at her.

Alice jumped to her feet. "What is happening today? Has someone hexed me so boils sprout over my face or something? Everyone's been laughing at me and I have no idea why!"

From the corner of her eye, she saw Lily flinch. "What?" Alice demanded. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Erm, actually, Al, I know why," Lily said nervously.

"Why?" Alice sat back down next to Lily. "What is it?"

Lily chewed on her lip. "You're not going to like it."

"Lily, you're starting to freak me out," Alice said bluntly. "What's up?"

Lily glanced around nervously and began rooting in her bag. Alice waited impatiently until Lily found a screwed up piece of paper and handed it silently to her.

Alice smoothed it out and read what it said:

_Tired of being single and alone? Looking to meet the person of your dreams? Well, look no further, because Alice Tyler, aka Miss Matchmaker, is here to help!_

_Miss Matchmaker is offering her full services to help you find your perfect match. It doesn't matter who you are; Miss Matchmaker is here for you all. Are you too scared to talk to the one you love? Worried that you'll never find 'The One'? Any romantic problems you may have, Miss Matchmaker has the solution! Service is free; Miss Matchmaker is more than willing to help you people as she loves nothing better than meddling in people's lives!_

_Contact Alice Tyler: Seventh year, Ravenclaw Tower. Satisfaction guaranteed!_

"WHAT?" Alice shrieked, jumping up. Some people nearby looked around in alarm and moved away.

"It was posted on the wall of our common room this morning," Lily gabbled quickly. "I knew you wouldn't like it – it must be someone playing a practical joke."

Alice scanned the paper again. "Yeah, and not a very good one, either!" she said furiously. "I can't believe someone would do this!"

"I know," Lily agreed. "It's not even funny, it's just stupid. I took it down as soon as I noticed it, but I don't know how many other people saw it on their way out."

"It looks like everyone did!" Alice said. She screwed up the piece of paper and turned to Lily. "You don't think I meddle in people's lives, do you Lils?" she asked in a panicked voice.

"Of course not," Lily assured her. "You're just… interested in people."

"Right," Alice sighed. "Wait until I find out who did this!"

"It must be a Gryffindor," Lily shrugged. "I mean, no one else would be able to get into our common room."

Alice unfolded the piece of paper and looked at it again. She scrunched up her nose, turning the paper this way and that, but the handwriting gave no clue as to who could be behind it.

"We'd better go, or we'll be late for Charms," Lily said, gathering up her bag and finishing the last piece of toast. Alice followed her, still puzzling over the paper.

When they reached the Charms classroom, most of the class was already there, including James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. Alice and Lily walked straight past them, but then Alice heard Sirius call, "You alright, Miss Matchmaker!"

Alice felt her blood boil. Slowly she turned around to face them. James was looking at her nervously. Sirius was smirking.

Alice clenched her fists. She walked up to their table and flung the piece of paper at Sirius. It bounced off his chest and fell onto the table, uncurling as it went to land face up in front of him. Sirius burst out laughing as he reread it.

"Did you write that crap?" Alice asked fiercely.

"Alice, it was just a joke," James gabbled. "We just –"

"_You _were in on this too?" Alice turned her furious gaze on her cousin. James looked shamefaced.

"It was Sirius' idea… he wrote it. I didn't have anything to do with it, I swear!"

"But you knew about it," Alice said icily.

James didn't answer. He snatched the piece of paper and read through it, then glared at Sirius. "Padfoot, you called my cousin a meddler?"

Sirius held up his hands. "Hey, I didn't see you objecting when I put it up this morning!"

"Well, I hadn't read it then," James scowled, ripping up the paper. "Alice, I didn't know he was going to write that or I would have stopped him!"

Alice exhaled gustily. "Whatever, James." She turned back to Sirius angrily. "I can't believe you would write that stuff about me when you hardly even know me!"

"It was just meant to be a practical joke!" Sirius protested.

"Well, it was a pathetic one," Alice snapped. "I thought you'd have grown out of such childish pranks by now. You'd better not do anything like that again, Sirius Black, or I'll hex you from here to next week!"

Alice turned on her heel and stomped to the front of the classroom, not caring that people were staring at her. Alice sat down next to Lily and slid as far down her seat as she could, glaring at her audience. "What?" she snapped, and everyone immediately turned back to their desks.

"Alice, are you OK?" Lily asked tentatively.

Alice sighed, putting her books on the table. "Yeah. It's not really the prank that bothered me, it's just _him_. I don't know who he thinks he is. He's so infuriating!"

"Yeah, he _is_ annoying," Lily agreed. "And immature."

"Now I know how you feel about James," Alice groaned. Lily laughed and was about to comment when Professor Flitwick entered the classroom. The two girls immediately turned their attention to the lesson.

After dinner that evening, Alice and Lily left the Great Hall groaning. Every single teacher that day had piled homework on them.

"They're really coming down on us this year, aren't they?" Lily grimaced.

Alice hitched her schoolbag higher on her shoulder and groaned in reply. "NEWTs are coming up, so I suppose they're working us extra hard to prepare."

"I've never _liked _homework, but this is just torture," Lily agreed.

"Do you want to go to the library?" Alice asked, glancing around. "I've really got to get started."

"Me too," Lily said. "I've just got to go to Gryffindor Tower to get my stuff. I'll meet you there, OK?"

Alice nodded and made her way to the library, while Lily took off in the opposite direction. Alice sat down and unloaded her books. She had only been working on her Charms essay for five minutes when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Um, Alice Tyler?"

"No," Alice said in exasperation without looking up. "Whatever you read about me being a matchmaker is not true. It was someone's idea of a practical joke, so you can just stop right there before you say anything else."

Alice dipped her quill in her ink and began writing again. People had been coming up to her all day, asking if she could help them with their romance problems, and Alice was just about ready to scream.

After a few moments, she was still aware of the person's presence, whoever it was, and eventually put down her quill and looked up with a sigh.

"What?" Alice asked. It was Holly Gordon, from Lily's dormitory.

Holly bit her lip, twisting her hands together. Alice regarded her curiously. She was a petite blonde girl with the biggest, bluest eyes Alice had ever seen. Alice didn't really know her at all – she was very quiet and barely spoke at all.

"I – I know that Sirius put that notice up as a joke," Holly said haltingly, "but I was kind of hoping you could help me anyway."

"Sorry," Alice said, folding her arms. "No can do. I don't perform those services."

Holly stood there, rocking backwards and forwards on her toes. "But I don't know what else to do," she begged, her voice barely audible over the squeaking of her shoes.

Alice sighed. Part of her wanted to send Holly away. She really didn't have time for anyone else's problems, and she didn't want to give Sirius the satisfaction of going along with his stupid prank. But another part of her, a bigger part, felt sorry for Holly. She looked so small, standing there playing with her hair self-consciously. And Alice had to admit, she was curious as to what was the matter with her.

Alice unfolded her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Fine. Go ahead, I'm all ears."

"Well… there's this boy I like," Holly said, speaking slowly at first but then gabbling the end of her sentence so the words all jumbled up into a big mess. Alice struggled to understand her. "But he doesn't even know I exist."

Holly blushed, her pale cheeks turning beetroot-red. Alice raised an eyebrow quizzically. "So why don't you just go up and talk to him?"

"That's just it," Holly said. "When I'm around a boy I like, I just get – all tongue-tied and I can't even speak a coherent sentence. It's just that you're really outgoing and – well – I thought maybe you could talk to him first."

Alice considered it. "I'm not going to ask him out for you, if that's what you mean," she said finally. "It's up to you to do the asking. But I can get _you _talking to him, if that's what you want. What's his name?"

Holly glanced around as if to check no one was listening, before leaning in and whispering, "Remus Lupin."

"_Remus_?" Alice repeated loudly.

"Ssshhh!" Holly said frantically, jerking her head around to see if anyone was behind them.

"Sorry," Alice said sheepishly.

"That's another reason I wanted to ask you as well," Holly added. "I mean, it'll be easier for you to talk to him because you're James' cousin."

Alice thought about it for a while. Out of all of James' friends, Remus was the one she liked best. She frankly couldn't stand Sirius, and Peter was… Alice didn't really know what Peter was. He worshipped James and Sirius as if they were gods or something, but he never really measured up to them. There was something creepy about him that Alice couldn't quite put her finger on.

Remus was quieter than James and Sirius, but he seemed much nicer. Alice had only spoken to him about twice, but he seemed very friendly, polite and a proper gentleman. _Unlike some, _Alice thought, a scowl crossing her face as she thought of Sirius and his stupid practical joke.

Holly saw the scowl and misinterpreted it. "Oh… if you don't want to, that's OK," she said hastily. "I'll just…" She turned to leave.

"No, wait," Alice called, making a split-second decision. She stood up as Holly turned back round, a look of hope on her face.

Alice walked over to Holly. "I'll help you," she said, extending a hand.

Holly took it, her face breaking into a smile. " Do you really mean it? Thanks so much, Alice."

"Don't thank me yet," Alice warned. "It's going to take some time, and I can't guarantee anything."

"I understand," Holly agreed, but the look on her face show that she was confident that Alice could work miracles. She threw her arms around her. "I can't tell you how much this means to me!"

Alice, slightly puzzled and taken aback by the force of Holly's hug, patted the girl's back awkwardly. Holly seemed to be pinning all her hopes onto Alice.

_So no pressure then, _Alice thought glumly as Holly released her. Still beaming, Holly waved at Alice and walked away. _What have I gotten myself into?_

Lily arrived just then, an amused look on her face. "What did you just say to Holly Gordon? I swear she was walking on air when I passed her just now."

Alice rolled her eyes. "What can I say? I'm Miss Matchmaker."

Lily's eyes were sparkling. She dumped her bag on the table and sat down next to Alice. "Really? Who does she like?"

"Are we supposed to be working, or are we supposed to be gossiping?" Alice cocked an eyebrow, trying to sound disapproving and failing.

Lily grinned. "Do I even need to answer that?"

Alice sighed. She really wanted to finish her essay, but Lily was staring at her pleadingly, her eyes wide. "Alright, fine!" Alice laughed. "It's Remus Lupin."

"Remus? Really?" Lily looked surprised. "Holly's never mentioned him before. But then again, she is really shy. She's nice, though."

"Well, you know her better than I do," Alice shrugged. "Anyway, she asked me to help her get to know him better, so I agreed."

Lily was looking at her, smirking. "What?" Alice asked defensively.

"So you really are going along with this Miss Matchmaker thing?" Lily asked incredulously.

"No!" Alice replied snippily. "I just felt a bit sorry for her, that's all."

"And you couldn't resist organising someone's love life," Lily said cheekily.

"That's not it at all," Alice insisted, reaching for her essay again. "Can we _please _just get on with homework?"

"OK, OK," Lily grinned, emptying her bag onto the desk. Alice was silent for a minute while she scribbled, but she could feel Lily's eyes boring into the top of her head.

Alice looked up at Lily. "What?"

"Nothing," Lily said, innocently dipping her quill into her ink.

Alice regarded her suspiciously for a moment before returning back to her work. She could still feel Lily looking at her.

Alice threw down her quill and snapped her head up again. Lily quickly looked down and pretended to be reading a letter.

"OK, what is it?" Alice scowled.

"It's just funny, that's all." Lily grinned. "That Sirius was right, I mean."

"What?" Alice exploded. "Sirius was _not _right at all! I'm not doing this because I want to be a matchmaker or anything, I'm doing it to _help _Holly." She glared furiously at Lily. Lily's lower lip quivered. Suddenly she burst out laughing.

"Lily, stop it!" Alice insisted. "It's – not – funny –"

At that moment, Alice saw the funny side and dissolved into giggles. She and Lily clutched each other as they laughed.

Madam Pince appeared, flapping her hands at them. "You girls!" she snapped. "Quiet down! I don't know what to do with you, I really don't."

Alice quickly bit her lip to stop any more giggles from escaping. She didn't want to get into trouble.

Madam Pince hurried away, tutting. "I'm sorry," Lily said, wiping her eyes. "Your face just then…"

Alice wagged her finger in mock sternness. "If you weren't my best friend, Lily Evans…"

"Oh, but I am," Lily said smugly.

Alice grinned sheepishly. "We've both been losing our tempers a bit recently, haven't we?"

"A bit _too _much," Lily agreed.

"We'd better just stay away from James and Sirius," Alice said. "They seem to bring out the worst in me."

"Oh, James isn't so bad," Lily said in an offhand voice. Alice looked at her, eyebrows raised.

Lily turned slightly red. "Slughorn paired us together in Potions today to make an Emotional Overwhelm potion and we had a conversation."

Alice pretended to feel Lily's forehead. "Lily Evans had a civil conversation with James Potter? Are you feeling OK?"

"Ha ha," Lily said sarcastically, but grinned as she said it. She frowned. "Sometimes I really don't understand him, though. On the train here he was just how I expected him to be – cocky, arrogant, _annoying _– but it's as if he's suddenly had a personality transplant overnight."

"Well, people change," Alice shrugged. In her head she was thinking, _well done, James! You finally did something right._

"Yeah, but people like James aren't _supposed _to change," Lily said. "After all these years of hating him, I had built up this horrible picture of him in my head. Now it's beginning to seem as if I was wrong after all." She put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my God, what's wrong with me? This is _James, _for crying out loud!"

Now it was Alice's turn to burst out laughing. Lily groaned. "Oh, don't! It's just so confusing, that's all!"

"Of course," Alice said, trying to keep a straight face.

Lily sighed and began putting her stuff back in her bag. "I don't know about you, but my concentration's shot," she said. "I'm calling it a night."

"Yeah, me too," Alice agreed, standing up. "I'll just have to work extra hard tomorrow, that's all."

The two girls left the library and bid each other goodnight. Alice headed back to Ravenclaw tower, feeling drained all of a sudden. When she reached the dormitory, she found Belinda hovering over the door, waiting for her.

"Well?" Belinda asked eagerly. "Did you see him?"

Alice brushed past her and sank down onto her bed. "No," she said in reply. "Look, I'm too busy for this, Belinda. I've got loads of homework, and all this other stuff going on…"

Belinda pouted. "A lot of help you are." She flounced over to her own bed.

"Look, why don't you just talk to him yourself?" Alice asked. "If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."

Belinda stared at her as if she had grown a second head. "Alice, you don't have the first idea about romance!" She went into the bathroom, banging the door shut behind her.

_Don't I? _Alice thought grimly. _Well, I sure seem to be helping a lot of people with their love problems. _

She turned round and ignored Belinda when she came back out the bathroom. Belinda blanked her and stalked over to her bed with a huff, pulling the curtains around so Alice couldn't see her. That suited Alice just fine.

Alice walked over to the window and looked out. There was a full moon that night, and the distant howl of a wolf reached her ears. It seemed to be coming from the Forbidden Forest. Alice shivered. She had never been in the Forest before and had no desire to at all.

Alice watched the shadowy silhouette of an owl swoop past the moon. For a fleeting moment, Alice wondered why she hadn't had a letter from home yet. Her parents usually wrote to her after her first day back, and then once a week after that. _Don't be so paranoid, _she scolded herself. _They've probably just been busy or something. _Alice's mum was a Healer at St. Mungo's hospital, and her dad was an Auror at the Ministry of Magic. These jobs meant they were working full time.

Alice sighed and went back over to her bed, curling her legs under her. _I still can't believe it's only Thursday. _She couldn't wait for the weekend. The way things were going, it seemed like every day was lasting a lifetime.

**A/N: **Thanks to **honeyelle**, my beta, and to my lovely reviewers **Flutterby Princess **and **katemary77**. You know what to do, everyone… the review button's right there. Winks


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Doesn't belong to me. There we go :-D

Much to Alice's surprise, the next week passed quite quickly. She still had tons of work to do, and she and Lily slaved away practically every night in the library, but even so, Alice was beginning to feel more relaxed. She loved nothing better than the feeling of satisfaction when she finished an essay she'd been working hard on for hours.

Alice began to wonder, in fact, why she'd got so stressed out the first couple of days back. Alice really wasn't the type of girl who lost her temper easily – when she got angry, she normally bit her lip and silently hated whoever or whatever was getting on her nerves. She had inherited this trait from her father – he held long, stony grudges against people who had betrayed him. Alice knew he had one against his brother – her uncle, Cameron, but Alice didn't know why – her dad never would tell her. Alice's mother, on the other hand, was much more easy-going. She was always scolding Alice's dad and calling him a "stubborn old mule". Alice was an only child, and was often the point of arguments between her parents.

When Alice had first joined Hogwarts, there was a lot of speculation about which House she would go into. Her mother had been in Gryffindor, along with the rest of her family, including her brother Richard, who was James' father. Her father, however, had been from a long line of Ravenclaws, with the exception of her Uncle Cameron, who had been a Slytherin. When Alice had got into Ravenclaw, her father had been so proud – but this meant he also put a lot of pressure on her to do well at school. Alice's mother always told him to go easy on her, but Alice loved and respected both her parents, and wanted to make them proud.

The following Sunday, she and Lily were relaxing by the lake. Alice had just finished yet another essay for Defence Against The Dark Arts, and now the two girls were lying on their backs, staring at the clouds that were rolling in rapidly. Alice lazily swatted a fly away from her face before putting her hands behind her head and settling back comfortably. Yes, it took a lot for Alice to blow her top, and in this case, it was Sirius Black. Alice hadn't seen him for four days and she had felt surprisingly mellow. Alice made a mental note to avoid him as much as she could; he obviously brought out this snappy, bad-tempered bitch in her and she didn't like it at all.

"Wasn't that Quidditch match good?" Lily remarked, lazily pulling up handfuls of grass and throwing them back down again.

"Yeah," Alice said in agreement. Gryffindor had won the first match of the season against Hufflepuff. Alice didn't really like to be biased, but she had to admit she was rooting for Gryffindor. "Wait until you play against Ravenclaw, though. We'll slaughter you!" Alice teased.

Lily laughed. She and Alice didn't take the house rivalry too seriously – the main one was between Slytherin and Gryffindor, anyway.

"Didn't James play great?" Alice asked slyly. James had scored the winning goal for Gryffindor, just before their Seeker caught the Snitch – even Alice had lost her cool and had jumped up from her seat, cheering.

"Mmm," Lily said vaguely, a tinge of pink staining her cheeks. Alice grinned to herself and rolled over onto her stomach.

"When's the next meeting?" Alice asked.

"Tomorrow," Lily said in a straightforward manner. Alice decided not to press it and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Lily frowned.

"I'll be back in a minute," Alice said. "I'm just going to get my homework. I've got another Arithmancy essay due for tomorrow."

"_More _work?" Lily raised her eyebrows. "Can't you leave it until the last minute, like everyone else?"

"No," Alice grinned. "I can never enjoy the weekend until I've got all my work out the way."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Strange girl."

Chuckling, Alice left her friend by the lake and headed towards the castle. Just before she could go through the doors someone opened them from inside, nearly hitting Alice in the face.

Alice jumped back just in time to avoid a broken nose. Holly Gordon came through the door, blushing. "I'm sorry!" she said frantically, and then seemed to relax when she realised who it was.

"Oh, hi Alice." Holly gave her a nervous smile and hitched her bag higher on her shoulder.

"Hi Holly." Alice felt slightly guilty as she looked at Holly's expectant face. She had been so busy over this past week that she hadn't had time to think of any way to help Holly get Remus to notice her.

"I don't suppose you…" Holly let the end of her sentence trail off and bit her lip. Alice racked her brains, trying to think of something she could come up with on the spot. Try as she might, she could think of nothing.

"I'm really sorry, Holly. It's just been crazy this past week, and I haven't…" Alice stopped midsentence as she realised Holly wasn't even paying attention to her. Instead, she was looking over Alice's shoulder, a panicked look on her face.

Alice turned around to see Remus and Sirius approaching. Annoyed as she was at Sirius, she couldn't let the opportunity to get Holly and Remus talking slide. Alice turned to Holly and hissed, "Drop your bag!"

"What?" Holly looked at her as if she was mad.

"Drop it!" Alice insisted, but as Remus and Sirius drew closer, Holly seemed frozen on the spot. Alice grabbed Holly's bag and yanked it off her shoulder. Books, parchment and ink spilled everywhere, some of them stopping right at Remus' feet. Holly turned red as a tomato as Remus smiled and stooped down to help her pick her stuff up.

"Some of your ink bottles have smashed," Remus said apologetically, holding out a broken bottle to Holly. Holly took it, her face flaming. Remus picked up one of her books and looked at the title with interest. "Werewolves – Cold Blooded Killers Or Innocent Men?" he asked quizzically, holding it out to Holly.

Holly took it, smiling shyly. "I've always been fascinated with werewolves. I think it's terrible the way society reacts to them today – werewolves are people just like us. Well, except for a couple of days out of the month, anyway," she added.

Remus smiled. "I agree with you completely."

Alice decided that this would be a good time to leave. "Well, I've got to go," she said, giving the group a little wave. "So much to do, so little time, you know." She turned and hurried off down the corridor. When she had turned a corner, she leaned against the wall and smiled secretly. Her spur of the moment idea had worked even better than she'd hoped!

"You really do never get tired of interfering in people's lives, do you?"

Alice turned to see that Sirius Black had followed her and he was leaning against the wall, too, his arms folded. He was staring at her with an amused look on his face. "I don't know what you're talking about," Alice said briskly, resisting the urge to yell, "_I do not interfere with people's lives_!"

Sirius laughed. "That little stunt you pulled back there. It's so obvious what you're doing." His eyes twinkled at her. "So are you going to admit I was right?"

"No." Alice began marching down the corridor. Much to her annoyance, Sirius followed her.

"Come on," he said with a grin. "Admit it. You enjoy being Miss Matchmaker, don't you?"

"No, I do not," Alice replied snippily. "I don't have time for childish stuff like that. I'm too busy."

"Yeah, right." Sirius raised his eyebrows. "First James and Lily, now Holly and Remus. Who's next?"

"I only said I'd help James because he asked me," Alice reminded him. "Anyway, he doesn't need it any more. He and Lily are getting along fine without me. As for Holly and Remus, I only gave them a nudge. Holly asked me to help, and I felt sorry for her, so I said yes."

"That's not why you did it at all." Sirius smirked. "You did it because you're so bossy you just love to organise other people and tell them what to do."

That did it. Alice stopped furiously in her tracks. How dare he call her bossy? "I am _not _bossy," she said hotly. "I don't _ask _to do things for other people, it's the other way around. Since when is it your business what I do in my free time, anyway?"

Sirius didn't say anything, he just looked at her with a broad smile on his face. Alice turned her back on her and stomped off down the corridor. _Don't lose your temper. Just ignore him._

This time, Sirius didn't follow her. Relieved, Alice sped up back to Ravenclaw tower and up to the dormitory to collect her homework. On opening the door, she found a large barn owl sitting on her bed, a letter in its beak.

Alice sat down on the bed and took the letter from the owl, stroking its tawny feathers. She recognised her mum's writing on the envelope. "It's about time," Alice muttered to herself, tearing it open. Unfolding the letter, she scanned the first few lines and her heart dropped to her feet. She put the letter down, her face pale, hoping that it wasn't true; hoping that she had misread it. She picked it up again, taking deep breaths, and began to read it properly.

Dear Alice, 

_I know you're probably wondering why I haven't written until now. I'm so sorry, dear, but things are… **hectic **at home. I regret to say that there are more attacks happening every day, and your father and I are run off our feet. I haven't had time to even pick up a quill until now._

_Alice, this isn't an easy letter for me to write, but you're almost eighteen – old enough to know the truth. I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now, but your father warned me not to – he said it would be too much for you to handle while you were still at school. You know what he's like. But it's only a matter of time before you find out – every newspaper in the country will be printing it – and I thought it would be better if you heard it from me._

_What you must understand, Alice, is that your Uncle Cameron is a very cold and proud man. I'm sure you know that both Salazar Slytherin and Lord Voldemort believed Muggle-borns to be unworthy to study magic, and that Muggles are the inferior race. Well, Cameron Tyler was no different. He was Sorted into Slytherin when he was at Hogwarts, and he had it drilled into him by his fellow housemates that Muggle-borns were scum; that purebloods were superior in every way. By the time your uncle left Hogwarts, his dislike of Muggles and Muggle-borns had developed into pure, cold-blooded hatred._

_Your father tried to talk to him about it, tried to change his ridiculous opinions, but he wouldn't listen. He told your dad that his foolish love for Mudbloods would be his downfall. That was what caused the rift between the two of them. Your father vowed never to speak to him again, and he was true to his word._

_Two years later, a Muggle-born wizard was killed. Cameron was a suspect, but there wasn't enough evidence to convict him. Everyone believed he was guilty, though. Your father went to ask him about it, but he didn't once deny that he was involved._

_I know this must come as a shock to you, Alice. You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this now, in a letter instead of face to face. Well, there's been another attack – another Muggle-born has been murdered. This time people saw him do it. There were too many witnesses for him to get away with it – it was your Uncle Cameron._

_He must have known he'd be found out, because he's in hiding now. No one's seen him since the attack. The Ministry believes he may be working for Voldemort._

_I'm so sorry you had to find out this way, darling, but I didn't see any other way I could contact you, and I wanted you to find out before it was reported in the newspapers. I just hope your classmates don't treat you any differently because of it… although as far as I'm concerned, he's no longer family._

_Owl me as soon as you can, sweetheart, and let me know how you are. Again, I'm so sorry about all of this – I just wish I could have done something to prevent it._

_Love always,_

_Mum._

Alice clutched the letter tightly with shaking hands. She could feel tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes and blinked them away fiercely. Stuffing the letter back in the envelope, she pushed it under her pillow and then sank down onto her bed, curling up into a ball as the tears began to fall.

Just the thought that her uncle could have so much hatred for people, to murder them in such a callous way, for the pure reason that they were Muggle-born… it made Alice want to curl up and die. The fact that Cameron Tyler could have such a grudge against people like Holly Gordon, people like _Lily_… Alice just couldn't understand. And working for _Voldemort…_

"Why?" she whispered, rocking back and forth on her bed, hugging her knees. "Why, Uncle Cameron? How could you do such a thing?"

Alice lay there for a while, silent tears running down her cheeks. Eventually she couldn't cry any more, and sat up, rubbing her face with the back of her hand. To her surprise, her sadness had ebbed away, and what was left inside her was the feeling of white-hot anger.

"It's people like _you_," Alice spat bitterly, "that make this world the _shithole _that it is today…"

"God, talk about touchy! I freeze you out for one day and you act like I murdered your best friend!"

"Murdered?" Alice's head shot up at that. Belinda was standing in the doorway, a confused and slightly shocked expression on her face.

"Oh, it's you." Alice sighed. "I wasn't talking about you, Belinda."

"Oh, good," Belinda said brightly, stepping into the room. "Because I've decided to forgive you."

"Lucky me," Alice said dryly. She suddenly remembered that she had forgotten about Lily and jumped up immediately. Belinda looked a bit put out that Alice was walking out on her – for about the millionth time.

"Sorry," Alice said distractedly. "I've got to find Lily." She hurried out of the room and down the steps, cursing herself for being so unreliable. When she left the common room and glanced out of the window, she saw that it was raining.

"Great," Alice muttered. Lily had probably come inside and gone to her own common room.

Alice dashed to the portrait hole, ready to pounce on Lily when she came out and beg for forgiveness. A second year Gryffindor came along and eyed Alice suspiciously, obviously not wanting to say the password while Alice was within hearing range.

"Go ahead," Alice said, waving her in. "And if you see Lily Evans in there, tell her Alice is outside."

The girl nodded. Alice stuck her fingers in her ears while the girl recited the password and went inside. "Please be there, please be there, please be there…" Alice muttered under her breath, hopping from one foot to the other.

The portrait hole opened again and the girl stuck her head out. "Sorry, she's not here," she said importantly before disappearing again. Alice cursed under her breath and decided to try the library. On the way she bumped into James.

"Whoa, where are you going in such a hurry?" James asked, catching hold of her arm. He noticed her expression and the look on his face changed to one of concern. "What's wrong?"

Alice bit her lip. She didn't know whether to tell James about her uncle or not. On the one hand, he was her cousin, after all. Cameron was a relative of his, even if it was somewhat distantly. But Alice was too ashamed of what he had done to talk about it.

"Nothing," Alice replied, forcing a smile onto her face. "I just need to find Lily. Have you seen her?"

"Don't give me that," James said with mock sternness. "I can tell when you're lying." He grinned broadly, but then saw that Alice wasn't in the mood for kidding around. "Come on, Alice, this is me. You can tell me anything."

Alice felt tears spring to her eyes again. _What the hell. He's going to find out anyway. _"Oh, James, it's awful," she burst out suddenly, flinging her arms around him.

James patted her back awkwardly. "It can't be that bad, whatever it is."

Alice pulled away. "It's worse," she sniffled, and then proceeded to tell James all about the letter she had received.

"I can't believe it," she ended, her voice trembling. "I'm so afraid people are going to blame me – they're going to think I'm just like him."

James enveloped her in a hug again. "Don't be so stupid. Everyone knows you're not like him at all. Just because someone in your family does a terrible thing like that doesn't mean that you're the same. Just look at Sirius – his family are scum and he's not like that at all."

Alice couldn't help snorting through her tears. "Well, he's not _that_ awful, anyway," James said with a small laugh. Alice considered this for a moment. She knew that Sirius had run away from home the previous year and lived with James in the summer holidays. Alice hadn't met any of his family before, but her parents had, and they had told Alice that they were typical pureblood snobs. She couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Sirius. If she was this distraught by her uncle hating Muggle-borns, what must it be like to have _parents_ like it?

James took Alice by the shoulders, forcing her to look straight at him. "Look, you can't feel guilty about other people's mistakes, even if they _are _family. People won't judge you on what Cameron does – people will judge you on what _you _do, and everyone in school knows you'd never dream of harboring a hatred for someone just because their blood isn't completely pure. I mean, your best friend's Muggle-born, right?"

Alice gave a small smile. "I guess so," she said, trying to keep the wobble out of her voice. "I just feel so ashamed…"

"Don't be," James assured her, putting an arm around her comfortingly. "The people that matter, your true friends, like me and Lily, won't give a damn about Cameron Tyler. We care about _Alice _Tyler."

Alice smiled again, suddenly gaining new confidence. She felt quite touched and reassured by James' words, and vowed to herself that she would ignore any gossip or nasty comments once the story broke the following day.

"Thanks a lot, James," she said, rubbing her face. "I'd better go and find Lily."

"Sure." James released her and Alice began to walk away down the corridor.

"Oh, and Alice?" Alice turned back round curiously.

"If anyone gives you trouble – anyone at all – tell me straight away," James said with a wink.

"I'll remember that," Alice laughed, waving before turning away again. She rounded a corner only to bump straight into someone.

"Oh, sorry!" Alice said at once. She looked up and, cringing, realised it was Lucius Malfoy.

Alice had never spoken to Lucius before in her life, but she saw how he treated other people – mainly people who were Muggle-born – and she didn't like it. She made a point of avoiding him whenever possible. _He'd do well going out Muggle-killing with Uncle Cameron, _Alice thought bitterly. She waited for the bashing, the "How-dare-you-touch-me-I'm-a-Malfoy", but it didn't come. Instead, Lucius just regarded her coolly, one eyebrow raised, before walking off.

_OK. That was weird. _Alice couldn't help but feel puzzled. Lucius was known for being stuck-up and rude to people; that was just the way it was.

_Oh well. _Alice didn't dwell on it too much; she had more important things to worry about, after all – like finding Lily. She hurried off to the library, hoping and praying that Lily would be there.

She was; sitting in their usual spot, reading _Advanced Charms and When To Use Them. _Alice approached her warily, not sure if Lily would be annoyed with her or not. Lily must have heard her, even though she tried to tread quietly, because she looked up from the book she was reading.

"_There _you are!" Lily cried, closing the book and getting up from her chair. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Alice gave a weak smile. Lily frowned and walked over to her. "Alice, what's wrong? You look awful," she said in a concerned voice, steering Alice over to a chair.

"Gee, thanks, Lily. I can't hear that enough," Alice teased. Lily rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

Alice twisted a strand of hair round her finger. Lily was looking at her curiously. Alice debated whether to tell her about the letter or not, but she decided not to. She knew Lily wouldn't judge her, but she didn't want her to know that a member of her family could do something horrific like that.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just bumped into Lucius Malfoy on my way here and he was acting weird, that's all." Alice filled Lily in on her encounter earlier.

"Wow, that is strange," Lily agreed. "I mean, he's normally so…"

"Evil?" Alice offered.

Lily grinned. "Exactly. It's a known fact. That's just how he is, same as James being a cocky, arrogant git." She paused, seeming to contemplate her words. "Then again, people can change," she added offhandedly.

"Right," Alice said with a smirk. "Have you spoken to him at all this week?"

"Not really. There's another prefect meeting tomorrow evening, though." Lily blushed slightly before changing the subject. "Did you find your homework?"

"What?" For a minute, Alice didn't register with what Lily was talking about. Then she remembered that was what she had gone to her dormitory for. "Oh, no. I got a letter from my mum, and I just forgot."

"Anything good happening at home?" Lily asked.

Alice shrugged. "Not really," she said airily, ignoring the gnawing feeling of distress in her stomach.

Lily stood up again from the chair she was sitting on. "I'm starving," she announced. "It must be dinnertime by now. Let's go and get some food."

Alice got up too, and the two girls went to the Great Hall. Alice joined Lily at the Gryffindor table, pretending not to notice the death stares Belinda and the other Ravenclaws were giving her. Alice didn't hate her House or anything; she was proud to be in Ravenclaw. But sitting anywhere near Belinda and her friends was absolute torture.

James, Sirius and Peter were already sitting at the table, much to Alice's annoyance. James she could tolerate, but Sirius and Peter… briefly, Alice wondered where Remus was, but shook it off and helped herself to pork chops.

"You OK, Alice?" James asked in a concerned voice. Alice shook her head warningly, nodding towards Lily. James turned to look at the redhead. "Hi, Lily," he said with a warm smile.

"Hello, James," Lily said politely, though Alice could detect a trace of a blush on her cheeks. Alice raised her eyebrows. She had never heard James call Lily anything other than "Evans" before.

Alice was about to say something when Holly Gordon came flying into the Great Hall, her eyes sparkling and a blissful look on her face. She made a beeline for the Gryffindor table and before Alice could even say "hi", Holly flung her arms round her, almost knocking her off the seat.

"Erm, hi, Holly," Alice said, somewhat taken aback.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Holly said in reply, closing her eyes dreamily.

"Um," Alice started, noticing Lily looking at her with an amused grin on her face. "Do you want to sit with us?"

"Oh, I'm too happy to eat anything now!" Holly gushed. "I just wanted to say thanks!" She floated from the room, seemingly walking on air.

"OK…" James said in a confused voice. "That was weird."

Alice shrugged with a grin. "What can I say? It's just been a really weird day."

**A/N: **Sorry for taking so long with this chapter (puts on ashamed face). My beta seems to have vanished from the face of the earth, so I had to get a replacement. Thanks to **Anya **for beta-ing on such short notice and to the reviewers: **Flutterby Princess **and **katemary77**. The next chappie's turning out longer than I'd thought, but it's just about done, so should be up soon. :-D


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Chapter Five, here it is! Chapters seem to be getting longer as I go along! Thanks go to my new beta Anya and my reviewers: Flutterby Princess, katemary77, olivehead, and BlackSnowPetals. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

The following morning Alice got ready with a feeling of dread, knowing that by breakfast time everyone would know about her uncle. She walked downstairs as slowly as possible, noticing with dismay that the rain was coming down in sheets. She would have to face everyone in the Great Hall.

Alice pushed open the doors as quietly as she could, hoping that nobody would notice her come in. The post didn't seem to have come yet; nobody even glanced in her direction.

Alice headed for the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Lily. Lily paused in the middle of buttering her toast to give Alice a strange look. "Are you OK? You look pale."

"I'm fine," Alice lied, sinking lower in her seat as a large barn owl swooped in through the window. _Oh no – here it comes._

More owls came in through the window, dropping parcels here and there. Lily's copy of the _Daily Prophet _landed on Alice's plate, knocking her bacon to the floor. Not that Alice cared that much – she felt too sick to her stomach to be hungry.

Lily unrolled the newspaper. Alice caught a glimpse of the headline:

**MUGGLE-BORN MURDERER STRIKES AGAIN!**

Alice winced.

"Look at this," Lily fumed, jabbing her finger at the bold, black letters. "I don't know who these so-called 'purebloods' think they are. It's disgusting, the way they kill people just because their parents are Muggles. I don't see how anyone could do such a sick, evil thing. Oooh, if I ever bumped into that heartless bastard…"

"Mmm," Alice agreed weakly, her heart beginning to pound against her rib cage. She wondered whether she should run away now and save herself the humiliation. Meanwhile, Lily was still ranting.

"I mean, if being a pureblood is so amazing, why do they feel they have to lower themselves to committing such a terrible thing like murder?" Lily asked furiously. She caught sight of Alice's face and, misinterpreting it, her expression changed to one of slight guilt. "I'm sorry, Alice. You're a pureblood, and your family's not like that at all."

Alice cringed. That was the worst possible thing Lily could have said.

She watched as Lily lifted the paper and began to read. Alice's body tensed as Lily's green eyes widened with shock as she read the first few lines. Lily lowered the paper slowly, gazing at Alice with an emotion in her eyes that Alice couldn't read. Her mouth opened and she looked as if she was going to speak.

Suddenly Alice knew she couldn't face what Lily had to say. She jumped up from her seat, knocking her plate to the floor, where it shattered into pieces. Alice didn't notice this, however, nor the surprised stares she got as she fled from the Great Hall. She was convinced that Lily was going to hate her.

Alice pushed open the heavy doors and dashed outside, not caring that the rain was still coming down in heavy sheets. She made for the tree by the lake; the one that she and Lily had sat under so many times. Alice sank to the ground, her clothes soaked and her hair hanging around her face in soggy wet strands, letting the rain mingle with the tears that were now falling down her face. She huddled up, her head in her knees, until she felt someone touch her shoulder.

Alice looked up. Lily was standing there, a look of determination on her face. Alice opened her mouth to say something, to start apologising, _anything_. But Lily got in there first.

"Alice," she said, a hint of a wobble in her voice. "I don't care what anyone in your family does. There's no way it could ever turn me against you. You're like a sister to me, and I would never blame you for something you didn't do."

Alice looked up at Lily – sweet, loyal Lily and threw her arms around her. "Are you sure?" she sniffled. "I wouldn't blame you if you hated me."

"As if I could ever hate you!" Lily replied. Alice released her and noticed that Lily was still carrying the newspaper.

"Let's see it," Alice said.

"What?" Lily asked.

"Let's see it," Alice repeated dully, gesturing towards the newspaper. "Come on, I want to see how bad it is."

Reluctantly Lily handed over the newspaper. The ink was slightly smudged, but the words were still eligible. Alice smoothed out the front page and began to read:

_On the morning of October 27th, Muggle-born Susan Pinkett, 38, was murdered by Cameron Tyler, 43, by the Avada Kedavra curse._

_Mrs Pinkett was just leaving the Three Broomsticks in the village of Hogsmeade when she bumped into Mr Tyler. The pair reportedly got into an argument and Mrs Pinkett pushed past Mr Tyler in an effort to walk away. Eyewitnesses say that Mr Tyler said to Mrs Pinkett, "How dare you, you filthy Mudblood scum," before turning his wand on her. Several people witnessed the attack, but Mr Tyler Disapparated before anyone could stop him._

_Mr Tyler, a pureblood wizard, has often displayed his hostility towards Muggle-borns. He left his job as a Hit Wizard at the Ministry of Magic after refusing to work with a Muggle-born. Mr Tyler had expressed his feelings about Muggle-borns being unworthy to be involved with magic many times to the Ministry. He is also believed to have been involved in the murder of David Beardsley, who was also a Muggle-born. Mr Beardsley was found dead on April 14th, 16 years ago. Like Mrs Pinkett, he had been killed by Avada Kedavra. Mr Tyler was a suspect; however was released when his wand found no traces of using the curse._

_Those who knew Mrs Pinkett say she was a kind and gentle woman. "She would never have hurt a fly," her sister, Mary Collins, 41, told the Daily Prophet. "It was an unprovoked, evil attack that was for no good reason except that a heartless man had a grudge against Muggle-borns."_

_Mr Tyler is still at large and has not been seen since that morning. Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold, insists that they are hunting for him. "Attacks like these are taken very seriously," she says. "The Ministry is doing everything in its power to ensure that the growing attacks on Muggle-borns are stopped once and for all."_

Alice let the newspaper slip from her fingers and fall into a puddle at her feet. She looked at Lily, who was watching her warily, waiting for her reaction.

"Uncle Cameron," Alice said lightly, trying to make a joke of it. "He needs to work on his people skills, doesn't he?"

"Alice, it's OK," Lily said softly. "You don't have to pretend."

Alice sighed. "I know. It's just the only way I can deal with it, you know?"

Lily nodded in understanding. She linked her arm through Alice's. "Come on, let's go inside or we'll be late for Charms. We're getting soaked!"

Alice took a deep breath and she and Lily made their way to the castle. When they reached the doors, Alice paused.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, puzzled.

"I – I don't know if I can face everyone," Alice said, her voice breaking. "I mean, they must know he's a relative of mine; we've got the same last name. What if people think it's my dad or something? I don't think I could face the humiliation."

"Come on," Lily said, tugging on her arm. "It doesn't matter what people think. That's their problem, isn't it?"

Alice chewed on her lip. "But I –"

"No buts." Lily said firmly, pulling Alice through the doors. "You're coming." Alice had no choice but to let Lily drag her along the corridors and into the Charms classroom.

Most people were already sitting in their seats, and as soon as Alice and Lily entered, they all turned to look. Alice took one look at the sea of faces glaring up at her and her resolve disappeared. She tried to turn and run out of the room, but Lily had her in a vice-like grip.

"Just ignore it," Lily instructed in muttered tones. "Ignore it…" Whispers followed the two girls down the aisle. As Alice sank gratefully into her seat at the front, she distinctly heard someone hiss, "Murderer!"

Lily whipped around at once, but before she could do anything, Alice heard a male voice speak. "Who said that?"

Alice turned to see James had rose from his chair, wand out. "Who said that?" he demanded again. Alice looked around at the nervous faces surveying James and saw that Suzanne Wallace, one of Belinda's closest friends, had turned bright red.

_What a bitch! _Alice thought, her feelings of embarrassment and shame disappearing and being replaced with anger. _Who does she think she is, criticising my family? _She was about to jump out of her seat and confront Suzanne as well, but James, who had noticed Suzanne's blush, strode over there first.

"Was it you?" James asked, waving his wand threateningly under Suzanne's nose.

Suzanne lifted her chin defiantly. "It's true," she said in a clear voice. "It was in the paper this morning. Her family, that Cameron guy, he murdered two Muggle-borns. I don't know how she can show her face around here," she added, nodding towards Alice. "If I were –"

She didn't get a chance the finish her sentence. Lily jumped from her seat, whipped out her wand and yelled, "_Furnunculus_!" Suzanne gave a shriek as hideous purple boils sprouted all over her face. James, obviously not satisfied, added, "_Densaugeo_!" Suzanne gave another scream as her teeth began to grow at a tremendous rate. She jumped up, knocking her chair to the ground, and fled from the classroom. Belinda followed her, but shot Alice a look filled with malice before she left.

"Does anyone else have anything to say?" James addressed the class. Nobody moved.

"Good." James glared at them all before pocketing his wand.

"Sit down, Mr. Potter." Professor Flitwick entered the classroom, his head concealed by the stack of papers he was carrying that were almost as tall as him. He apparently hadn't noticed anything amiss.

James sat down, shooting Alice an apologetic look. Alice smiled back weakly and turned back to face the front. The lesson began, but Alice couldn't concentrate. She had seen the glares that most of the class had given her. Nobody dared to say anything in fear of angering James, but Alice knew what they were thinking. Everybody thought her family were murderous Muggle-born haters. Only two people in the entire school were on her side, and that was her best friend and her cousin.

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Alice. Everywhere she went, whispers and accusations followed her. Alice always liked to pretend she didn't care what people thought of her, but the truth was, she did. She wanted to be accepted and liked. She couldn't stand the thought of everyone hating her for the rest of her life, and try as she might, she just couldn't accept it. She knew that she would have to face up to it eventually – she couldn't run away from the past, no matter how indirectly she was involved.

By the last class of the day, Alice couldn't wait to escape to the library. It was the only place she could get peace and solitude. She decided to skip dinner, although she was hungry. She didn't want to be around so many people, people who had judged her so harshly. The only thing that mattered now were her studies. Alice was determined to do well in her NEWTs and prove everyone wrong.

Alice worked on her homework until early evening, when Lily came in. "Where were you?" Lily asked, plonking herself down into a seat. "You missed dinner."

Alice shrugged. "I just didn't think I could face everyone, that's all."

"Oh." Lily frowned, waiting for Alice to elaborate more, but she didn't. Lily took a hand mirror out of her bag and began examining herself critically. "God, my hair is so boring," she murmured. She pulled her long red hair up with one hand and held it there for a minute. "Do you think it looks more sophisticated up?"

Alice frowned. "It looks fine like it is, Lily."

"OK." Lily let her hair drop. She suddenly looked down at herself, a panicked look spreading across her face. "Does this make me look fat? Oh God, it does. Maybe I should change out of uniform…"

Alice put her quill on the table, puzzled. "Lily, why are you suddenly so self-conscious about your appearance? It's not like you're going anywhere special."

Almost as soon as she'd spoken, it dawned on her. A grin broke out over Alice's face. "Oh, I get it. It's the prefects' meeting tonight, isn't it?"

Lily snapped shut her hand mirror and stowed it away in her bag. "Is it?" she asked casually. "I'd completely forgotten."

"Right." Alice smirked and began gathering up her things.

"Where are you going?" asked Lily.

"Back to the common room," Alice said, making up her mind impulsively. "I'm going to have to face Suzanne sooner or later. I mean, we do share a dormitory."

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Will you be OK?"

"I think I'll be able to handle it," Alice grinned. "I mean, it's only one person, right? It's not like I'm standing up to the whole school on my own."

"I guess so," Lily said doubtfully.

Alice swung her bag over her shoulder decisively. "I'll see you later. Have fun!" she added cheekily over her shoulder. Lily rolled her eyes.

Alice left the library and set off for the Ravenclaw tower at a brisk trot. When she reached the end of the corridor, though, her pace had slowed until she had stopped completely.

Alice flopped backwards against the wall, letting her bag slide off her shoulder until it fell to the floor with a dull thud. Her act of bravado in the library had been just that – an act. Suzanne Wallace had been following Belinda around since first year. She was one of those girls who didn't seem to have a personality of her own. And yet she was the only one who had stood up to both Alice and James! Alice was quite shocked by Suzanne suddenly growing a backbone. It was obviously a subject she had strong feelings about. Were her parents Muggles? Alice realised she didn't know anything about Suzanne's background. _How can that be? _Alice wondered. She had been living in the same dormitory as the girl for six years!

Something passed across Alice's mind that she hadn't even considered yet. What if the woman her uncle had murdered was related to someone in school? What must they be going through? Alice had been so wrapped up in worrying about what people were going to think of _her, _she hadn't even thought about how it might be affecting other people. What if it was someone's _mother_? Alice thought about how she'd feel if her own mother was killed and her stomach gave a lurch. She'd probably hate whoever did it and their whole family, too.

Alice's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of voices from around the corner. Not wanting to eavesdrop, Alice began to move away, but something stopped her.

"Have you decided yet?" one of the voices was saying. Alice realised with some disgust that it was Severus Snape. She grimaced. Snape was a Slytherin in their year who James quite frankly detested. In fact, he was actually a bit of a bully towards Snape, although Alice realised he hadn't done anything to him since the start of term. Lily always defended Snape – she said that he was just misunderstood and she felt sorry for him. Alice didn't much like him, though. He had called Lily a Mudblood on more than one occasion.

"I don't think we should be talking about this here," a nervous voice squeaked.

Alice eye's widened. Wasn't that _Peter's _voice?

Alice edged along the wall and peeped around the corner. Snape and Peter were standing there, alone in the deserted corridor. Snape was glaring at Peter, who kept glancing around nervously.

Alice frowned. Why was Peter talking to Snape? They had never been particularly close, as far as Alice knew.

"You didn't answer the question," Snape said coldly.

"Well, I – I –" Peter's voice faltered, then broke off.

"Pettigrew, you know he's not a patient man." Snape's icy voice cut through Alice like a knife.

Peter flinched. "I know," he mumbled.

"Well?"

Alice leaned in a bit closer to hear what Peter was saying. She couldn't catch the whole sentence, but she heard the last word "– help."

"Good," Snape said briskly. Alice tried to lean even closer to catch the rest of the conversation, hanging onto the wall for support, but she lost her balance and tumbled forwards, landing heavily on her knees.

Snape had his wand out in an instant. When he realised it was Alice, he lowered it, however he didn't put it away.

"Um…" Alice got up, brushing dust from her knees, embarrassed to be caught eavesdropping.

"We were just…" Peter looked at Snape in a panic.

"Talking about Potions homework," Snape cut in. "We were paired together to write an essay, but Pettigrew hasn't made up his mind yet what to write about." He shot Peter a glare, then looked at Alice with distaste. "What are you doing here, Tyler?"

"I'm walking," Alice replied defensively. "Not against the law, is it?"

Snape sneered at her and Alice marched away, her mind whirling. Were they really just talking about homework? It would make sense, what Snape was saying. Slughorn wasn't a patient man.

But it hadn't sounded like an innocent essay discussion. Snape had sounded like he was _threatening_ Peter. _That I can believe, _Alice thought grimly as she reached the suits of armour. Snape was too much of a coward to challenge Peter while he was with James, but on his own, Peter was as wimpy as a bowl of mashed potatoes. "Grindylow," Alice said to the suits of armour and they sprang apart.

Alice climbed the stairs to the common room, debating whether to tell James about what she'd heard or not. When she got to the dormitory, however, she forgot all about Peter and Snape. Belinda, Suzanne and Jennifer were all sitting on Suzanne's bed, glaring at her. Suzanne's face was back to normal; Madam Pomfrey must have removed the boils and shrunk her teeth again. Alice hoped against hope that Suzanne had forgiven her for the incident in Charms class, but the venomous looks she was shooting her said otherwise.

"We want a word with you," Belinda snapped.

"OK. How about goodbye?" Alice replied cheekily, a sick feeling rising up in the pit of her stomach. She made a move to walk out of the room, but Belinda was too quick for her. She pulled out her wand and said, "_Impedimenta_!" Alice found her feet frozen and unable to move.

Belinda walked over to her, a sneer on her face. Taking Alice's arm, she dragged her across the floor, panting a little at the weight. Alice tried to wriggle out of her grasp, but with her feet immobilised, she couldn't exactly run away.

Belinda pushed Alice hard so that she landed on the bed, then she, Suzanne and Jen crowded around her, glaring down at her. "What?" Alice snapped, annoyed at herself for letting them trap her so easily. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage; she knew it was something to do with the scene earlier in Charms class.

"It's about Susan Pinkett," Belinda said haughtily.

"Who?" Alice asked, confused.

The three girls stared at her as if she had suddenly sprouted an extra head. "Susan _Pinkett_," Suzanne said, putting heavy emphasis on the last word. "You know, the Muggle-born who was _murdered_!"

Alice flinched. Every word Suzanne uttered felt like a blow to her stomach. "Oh," was all she could say.

"Yes, _oh_." Belinda gave her a look of hate. "What are you going to do about it?"

"_Do_?" Alice couldn't believe her ears. "What do you _want_ me to do? What _can _I do?"

Belinda stared at her as if she was mad. "He's a relative of yours, isn't he?"

"Yes," Alice reluctantly admitted.

"So then you know where he is!" Jen chimed in.

Alice shook her head. "I haven't got a clue where he is. Why would I? My family don't have contact with him any more. He's been disowned by practically everyone."

"You're lying," Suzanne said flatly.

Alice's blood began to boil. If there was one thing she hated, it was being called a liar. "I am _not_," she spat. "You think I'm pleased about this? Do you think I _wanted_ this to happen? I'm as shocked by it as you, thank you very much. But there's nothing I can do about it!"

Belinda glared at her. "I can't believe you can just sit there acting as if it doesn't matter. You obviously don't care that your family's name is being dragged through the mud. You don't care that your family is always going to be remembered as _murderers_!"

She looked at Suzanne and Jen. "It's what I expected from her," she said conversationally. "All purebloods are the same."

Alice fairly exploded. "My family are _not _murderers," she burst out. "OK, fine, my uncle is. But the rest of my family isn't like that! You think just because we're purebloods, we hate everything to do with Muggles. It's completely unjustified! My best friend is Lily Evans, for God's sake! Do you think I'd be friends with her if I hated Muggles and Muggle-borns? You know," Alice snapped, glaring up at the three girls who surrounded her, "_I'm_ not the prejudiced one around here. _You_ are."

Alice stopped her ranting for a moment, breathing heavily. It had been a while since she had lost her temper like that. She only got like it when someone was insulting her friends or family.

She waited for a moment, expecting one of them to come back with a scathing reply, but it didn't happen. Alice looked up cautiously. Belinda, Jen and Suzanne were all staring at her, but not one of them made any move to speak. Eventually, Belinda piped up.

"So you're just going to carry on as normal, like nothing's even happened?"

"Belinda, there's nothing else I can do," Alice said through gritted teeth. "I've told you already. I don't know why you're coming down on me. I wasn't even involved. I hadn't even heard of the woman until this morning! Now take this bloody jinx off me, I want to go."

Belinda ignored this request and carried on looking at Alice in disbelief. "You don't even know who she was?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

Alice was suddenly too tired to argue any further. She barely shook her head, looking down as she noticed Belinda's blatant use of the past tense.

"She was a good friend of my mother's," Suzanne said, shaking her hair back importantly.

"That's it?" Alice couldn't hide her relief. "So she wasn't related to you?"

"No," Suzanne said with a frown. "She has a daughter who goes here, though. Violet – she's in first year."

_First year? _Alice couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. She could barely imagine what the poor girl was going through. _An eleven-year old has just lost her mother, _Alice thought dully. _And what's worse, she was murdered!_

Rage and hate sliced through her, almost overpowering her. _That bastard. He should pay for what he's done! _Alice bit her lip to keep from screaming at Belinda. "Take this jinx off me, _now_," she ordered grimly.

Belinda obviously noticed her expression and heard the angry tone in her voice. Looking slightly scared, she took out her wand and said, "_Finite Incantatem_." Alice stood up, testing her feet to see if they worked. When she was certain she could walk, she marched over to her bed, yanking the pillow off and throwing it onto the floor. She snatched up the letter that she had been keeping under there and, without even glancing at Belinda and her cronies, left the dormitory, shutting the door behind her with a click. She turned around and almost bumped into Emmeline Vance.

"Oh – Emmeline –" Alice paused. Was Emmeline going to tear a strip off her too? She had never been very close to her – Emmeline was friends with Hestia Jones and the other Hufflepuffs – but they had always been allies, sort of, in that neither of them had much time for Belinda.

Emmeline gave her a small smile. "Hi, Alice. How is – everything?" she asked cautiously.

Alice knew that was Emmeline's way of saying she had seen the incident in Transfiguration, and also that she didn't resent her in any way. "As good as it can be, under the circumstances," Alice said, smiling gratefully back.

"Good." Emmeline paused, gesturing with her head towards the door. "Are the evil triplets in there?"

Alice nodded. "Unfortunately."

Emmeline pulled a face. "Maybe I'll go and read in the library instead," she said with a grimace.

Alice laughed. "Good idea. Belinda's on the warpath." Remembering her own purpose for leaving the room, she said a quick "see you later" to Emmeline and headed for the stairs.

Alice was surprised by how calm she felt as she left the Ravenclaw Tower and strode purposefully down the corridor. When she rounded the corner, she bumped into James and Lily, who were obviously just coming out of the prefects' meeting.

"Alice?" Lily asked warily. "Are you OK?"

"Yes," Alice replied stiffly, not slowing down.

Lily and James both scurried alongside her, trying to keep up with her pace. "Where are you going?" James asked, panting a little as Alice's steps quickened.

"To see Dumbledore," Alice informed them. She saw Lily and James exchange looks over the top of her head.

"Did Suzanne say something again?" Lily questioned. "Because you shouldn't take any notice of her, she talks absolute –"

"This has nothing to do with Suzanne," Alice said. She stopped as they reached the stone gargoyle. She turned to face them. "Did you know that the woman my uncle killed was someone's mother?"

Lily and James exchanged glances. "Well…" James began.

So they knew. Everyone probably knew, and they hadn't told her. "A first-year," Alice said quietly. "A _first-year_," she repeated more loudly, "has been left motherless, thanks to my bastard of an uncle. You know," she continued, turning away to face the gargoyle, "I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. The Ministry will just fuck it all up, they always do. They'll never catch him. Mint humbug," she said, and the gargoyle sprang to life. Alice began to ascend the stairs, with Lily and James scurrying after her. "If anyone can find him, it's Dumbledore," she continued, talking as if to herself. She had almost forgotten that James and Lily were there. "Find him and send him to Azkaban, where I hope he rots…"

They had reached the big oak doors. "Alice," Lily said timidly. "Don't you think you should calm down for a minute? You don't have to –"

"I am calm," Alice interrupted. "In fact, I'm calmer than I have been in a long time." Alice thumped on the doors determinedly. The sound echoed all around the small space in which they were standing.

"Come in," Alice heard Dumbledore call, and the door swung open. Alice walked straight up to Dumbledore, where he was sitting at his desk. "Professor," Alice said loudly. "I got this letter yesterday from my mother." She passed the letter to Dumbledore and watched him as he read it. A tired expression came over his face as he finished it and handed it back to Alice.

"Ah, yes," he said heavily. "I read about it in today's Daily Prophet."

Alice stood where she was, shuffling her feet. She had come to Dumbledore's office on the spur of the moment, and Dumbledore's calm manner as he read the letter had made some of her anger ebb away. "Well –" she said, beginning to feel quite foolish and not knowing how the rest of her sentence was going to end. "Can you do something about it? Find him, I mean? The Ministry won't – he's too clever for them."

"Why do you want me to find him?" Dumbledore stared at Alice. His piercing gaze felt like it could sear straight through her soul.

Alice bit down on her lip so hard that she felt her teeth pierce the skin. She could taste blood. "Well, I want him to go to Azkaban. He's – well, he's a murderer!" she cried, watching Dumbledore to see his reaction.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "I have known Cameron Tyler for many years. At school, he was always a follower, not a leader – he was easily manipulated by others, which is not always a bad thing. Unfortunately he was manipulated by the wrong people."

Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment. Alice, Lily and James hovered, unsure what to do, but then he spoke again.

"I think I know where he may be hiding."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" James asked, looking puzzled at the sorrowful expression on Dumbledore's face. "You can tell the Ministry where he is and they can arrest him."

Alice continued to chew on her lip. Much as she detested her uncle, she couldn't help but wonder if she had done the wrong thing by going to Dumbledore. After all, Cameron was still family. She didn't really want him to go to Azkaban – did she?

Dumbledore shook his head. "It's not that simple, James. Now isn't the time for rash actions. The situation is not as simple as black and white, good and bad. Cameron Tyler is one of those men who operate in shades of grey…"

Alice and Lily exchanged confused looks, not quite sure what Dumbledore was talking about. James seemed to understand, though, and nodded wisely. "What are you going to do, Professor?"

Dumbledore sighed again. "For the moment, there is nothing I can do. If Cameron hears the Ministry are onto him, he'll flee faster than a jackrabbit. I will go and talk to him myself, but not just yet. Let him lay low for a while until all the fuss has died down. He may be more willing to listen then. Hopefully I can convince him…"

Dumbledore let the rest of his sentence trail off into thin air. Alice glanced at Lily, who looked as unsure about what to do as she was.

James rose up from his chair. "Alice, Lily, we'd better go."

Alice and Lily both stood up and followed James to the door. Alice cast a glance over her shoulder at Dumbledore and was startled to see he was looking straight at her. There was tiredness in his eyes; tiredness and something else Alice couldn't quite place – like a sadness, but much more intense…

Alice shivered as they left the office and began to descend the stairs. For the first time in her life, Alice felt that things were going to happen that were out of her control, and she didn't like the feeling at all.

**A/N: Next chapter – Sirius is insensitive, Alice gets some advice from someone unexpected, and a sick turn of events regarding the murder… as always, feedback is appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Chapter 6, ready to go! Thanks to the fantastic reviewers: Flutterby Princess, katemary77, BlackSnowPetals, olivehead and JessMiddy – you're much appreciated! Extra thanks to Anya, for making me delete all the sucky stuff in this chapter.**

October gradually turned to November and the weather grew colder. Sudden downpours of rain and sleet sent many students scurrying inside, shrieking. The workload for the seventh years increased. More often than not, Alice found herself skipping meals to go to the library and work on her homework. At least, that's what she told herself, anyway. The truth was she couldn't face the glares and accusations that followed her wherever she went.

She had seen Violet Pinkett as well; crying one day in the corridor, surrounded by people, who had all sent Alice death glares as she walked past. Alice had wanted to go up to Violet and say something, anything – but all she had managed was a choked "I – I'm sorry," before running off. She felt terrible, not only for herself but for Violet too, who would never see her mother again. Violet had gone home for a while to be with her dad, but it didn't make Alice feel any less guilty; everywhere she went she was reminded of it by the hostility from the other students.

Lily seemed to be growing more concerned about her every day. "Alice, you've lost so much weight," she said worriedly, peering at her.

"I'm fine," Alice replied, trying to make her voice sound convincing. "I've just got loads of work to do, that's all."

Lily shook her head. "That's not it at all. You're stressed out about the way people are treating you, aren't you?"

"No," Alice lied over the top of her Arithmancy textbook. "I couldn't give a flying fuck what they think. It's up to them." Her voice wobbled at the end of her sentence, and to her horror she found tears springing to the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away furiously.

"Who are you trying to kid, me or yourself?" Lily asked gently. Alice looked up at Lily – Lily, her best friend in the entire world, the only person who could understand how she felt. Alice closed her eyes and let the tears fall freely.

Lily put her arms around Alice and hugged her fiercely. "Listen, Alice, I don't care what people say," she reassured her. "I know you better than anyone else in this school. You're my best friend, and there's no way I could ever think badly of you, despite what that bastard has done."

Alice took the tissue Lily was holding out to her and dabbed her eyes. "Thanks," she said. " But you just don't know how it feels to have people whispering about you, people _hating _you for something you didn't even do."

"Who cares?" Lily cried, her voice rising. "Anyone who says anything bad about you doesn't know what they're talking about, and they're about as worthless as dragon dung."

"It's not just that," Alice said. "It's Violet as well. We can't even imagine what she's going through, Lil. She's only eleven and her world's just been turned upside down! She's lost her mother, for God's sake!"

"I know," Lily said with a sigh. "It's awful, but you can't blame yourself for it. Alice, you're not the guilty one, so there's no need to feel like it! Look, it's Hogsmeade this weekend. Why don't we go together and just have fun? You've barely set foot outside the library for over a week."

"I don't know…" Alice paused. The thought of going and facing the people who had been talking about her behind her back for weeks filled her with dread.

"You're coming," Lily said with determination. "You can't leave me to face them on my own!"

Alice laughed, suddenly gaining new confidence. Lily was right. Who cared what people thought of her? The only person's opinion who mattered to Alice was Lily's, and she had stuck by her, even with all the gossip.

"OK," she said, making a split-second decision. "I'll come!"

That Saturday, though, she got dressed with a growing feeling of unease. By the time she had met Lily outside, she was already beginning to regret her decision.

"Lily, I'm not sure if this is a good idea," she whispered. Icy looks were being thrown at her from every direction.

"You know," Lily began conversationally, "I seem to remember a couple of months earlier, just before we caught the train to Hogwarts, I was embarrassed because people were staring at us. And I distinctly recall you saying – now, what was it?" Lily paused for a moment, her eyes sparkling. "Oh yes – 'Fuckem!'"

Alice couldn't help but laugh. Lily always managed to cheer her up. She thought about that day on the train, when her only worries were about James and Lily and how she was going to get them together. Was there really a time when she had been that carefree? Alice could barely imagine it now. The memory was still there, lodged into her brain, but it was fuzzy – almost as if it was someone else's life she was watching, and not hers. Other happy memories flashed across Alice's mind, like an out-of-sync VCR – her and James playing together when they were small, the day she got her Hogwarts letter, the first time she met Lily… Alice smiled sadly at the thoughts. Would she ever be that happy again?

Almost as soon as she'd thought this, Alice mentally scolded herself. _Stop being so melodramatic and selfish, _she thought. _Of course you'll be happy again. At least your parents are still alive! Think about what Violet's going through. She's got it worse than you._

Alice felt her spirits begin to lift at this thought. She was unhappy for Violet, of course, but all things considering, her own life was pretty good. Even if she did have a psycho lunatic for an uncle. She hooked her arm through Lily's and began bounding madly along the grass. "Hey!" Lily protested as Alice dragged her along. "What's up with you? You've had a change of spirit all of a sudden!"

"I know," Alice said cheerfully. "I've been a right plank, haven't I? But I've got no reason to be miserable. Well, I have, but I'm just thinking about Violet now. She's probably going through the worst torment of her life, and I'm standing around worrying what people think of _me_. What sort of an attitude is that? No, from now on I'm going to start living life to the full. Starting from today." She yanked Lily's arm even harder and broke into a run. Lily had no choice but to run after her, a bemused but happy expression on her face at her friend's dramatic mood swing.

"Hey!" Alice heard a voice call out behind them. She stopped abruptly, causing Lily to smack straight into her. Alice burst into giggles at Lily's shocked face.

The two girls turned to see Holly Gordon dashing over to them. "Are you two going into Hogsmeade?" she asked breathlessly.

Alice and Lily nodded. "Do you mind if I come with you?" Holly asked, shyness creeping into her voice as she looked down at the floor.

"Course not!" Lily grinned, gesturing for Holly to join them.

"I – I heard about what happened with your uncle," Holly said tentatively, falling into step beside Alice and Lily.

Some of Alice's good mood began to ebb away. "I suppose you think I'm to blame too," she said dully.

"Oh, no!" Holly protested. "I don't blame you at all. It's not your fault. How were you supposed to know what he was going to do?"

As soon as Alice's spirits had begun to dim, they were immediately lifted again by Holly's words. She knew her parents were Muggles, and she couldn't really blame Holly if she said she hated her uncle, and her – but she hadn't. "Thanks, Holly," Alice said with a smile. "You don't know what that means to me."

"No problem." Holly smiled a little self-consciously. Alice hesitated for a moment and then, feeling bold, linked her arm with Holly's. Holly blushed with pleasure and a smile lit up her face. Alice grinned back, hooked her other arm through Lily's again and the three girls strolled along in companionable silence.

It had just started to rain when they reached Hogsmeade, and an icy wind blew the stinging drops into the girls' faces. "Shall we go into the Three Broomsticks and have a butterbeer?" Lily suggested.

"You two go ahead," Alice said, gesturing for them to go on without her. "I just need to go to the Post Office and send this letter. I'll meet you in there."

Alice quickly went to the Post Office and sent the letter to her parents. Her errand done, she hurried down the street to the Three Broomsticks and pushed open the door, wiping the cold raindrops from her cheeks. She scanned the room for Lily and Holly. Her eyes narrowed when she saw them sitting at a table with James, Sirius, Remus and Peter.

_So much for a girls' day out, _Alice thought moodily. She reluctantly made her way through the crowded bar to the table. Plastering a bright, fake smile on her face, she slid into a chair next to Lily. "Hi, everyone," she said, attempting to muster some enthusiasm into her voice.

"Hi, Alice." James greeted her cheerfully. Alice gave him a brief smile and slumped back dejectedly into the chair, casting her eyes over the table. Holly and Remus kept giving each other shy half-smiles and then quickly looking away again. Lily was twirling her hair round her finger, trying to act cool and aloof, but Alice noticed she was sneaking glances at James whenever he wasn't looking. Alice rolled her eyes, beginning to feel like the odd one out and wishing she had never agreed to come to Hogsmeade.

Alice's eyes fell on Peter, who was looking at her anxiously. She remembered how she had heard him arguing with Snape the other night and briefly debated with herself on whether to bring the topic up. Peter looked scared to death, however, and he seemed to be sending her pleading signals with his eyes not to say anything, so Alice decided not to. She had made up her mind that Snape had been lying about the Potions project, though, and decided to ask Peter about it later, when she could get him on her own.

Alice glanced around the table again, aware that for the past five minutes no one had spoken. Anxious to break the uncomfortable silence and to get away from everyone, Alice muttered, "I'll go and get the drinks," before pushing her chair away sharply and stalking over to the bar.

Alice ordered the drinks and rocked back and forth on her heels while she waited. She scanned the pub with casual disinterest. It was crowded, but most of the people milling about were adults. The few Hogwarts students that were in there were all squashed together around one table. As Alice's gaze swept over them, she noticed that they were all shooting her poisonous glances. Alice hastily cast her eyes down to the floor, wishing more than ever that she was inside the safe realm of the library.

"Your butterbeers," a bored voice said.

Alice spun back around to see Madam Mallone, the barmaid, looking at her expectantly. "Oh, right – er, thanks," Alice stuttered, extracting a handful of Galleons from her pocket and shoving them across the bar. Madam Mallone scooped up the coins and swept away, shaking her head.

Alice stared at the row of butterbeers that were lined up along the table, vaguely wondering how on earth she was going to carry seven bottles by herself. She had managed to scoop up four and was just about to use the Levitation charm on the other three when she heard a voice behind her.

"Need some help?"

Alice turned to see Sirius standing behind her. "No," she said stubbornly, turning back to the bar. She realised that to cast the spell she needed her hands free. With an irritable sigh, Alice slammed the bottles back down on the table with enough force to break them and reached for her wand. She could see Sirius grinning out of the corner of her eyes, obviously amused by her predicament. Alice bit her tongue and resisted the temptation to hex him into oblivion; instead she flicked her wand and muttered, "Wingardium Leviosa." Five of the bottles floated up off the table and hovered in midair. Cradling the other two bottles under her left arm, Alice used her right hand – her wand hand – to control the movement of the airborne bottles. Satisfied, Alice turned back to Sirius and glared fiercely at him, silently daring him to challenge her. Sirius, however, just looked at her with a slight grin; as if she was a monkey in a zoo that he found mildly amusing.

"What?" Alice asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing," Sirius said, his own eyes widening innocently.

"Good," Alice snapped, sliding out of her seat. She flicked her wand towards the hovering butterbeers and was just about to walk away when Sirius said, "It's no wonder you and Evans are such good friends."

Alice turned back around in exasperation. "And why is that?"

Sirius was smirking. "I have never seen anyone so uptight in my life."

Alice gritted her teeth. "I am not," she said, slowly and deliberately, "uptight."

Sirius chuckled. "You are. You're actually worse than Evans, in fact."

Alice could feel anger bubbling up in the pit of her stomach. _Ignore him. Don't rise to it, he's just trying to provoke you. _"I am not," she said again, cringing as she realised how childish she sounded.

"Come on, Tyler, just admit it." Sirius seemed to be enjoying tormenting her, the smug git. "Spend all your time in the library… never coming down to dinner… I bet this is the first time you've left Hogwarts in months."

"It is none of your business what I do with my personal life," Alice said icily. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I don't want to stand around here talking to you." She started to walk away, the butterbeer bottles trailing behind her.

"Of course, I suppose I can understand it," Sirius continued. "After what your uncle did, I mean. I'd be ashamed to show my face around here too."

_Crash. _Seven bottles fell to the floor and smashed, spraying glass everywhere. The pub went immediately silent and everyone, it seemed, turned to look at Alice. Alice stood where she was for a moment, butterbeer pooling in sticky puddles around her feet. She felt her face flaming and to her horror, tears were beginning to cloud her vision. Not caring what she was doing, she pushed somebody out of the way and ran blindly from the pub. Vaguely she could hear Lily shouting her name, but she didn't stop; she just knew she had to get out of there.

Alice pushed open the door and bolted outside. The rain had stopped – it must have just been a quick shower. Alice glanced around, wondering whether to run back up to school or go somewhere else. A solitary tear trickled down her cheek.

Alice heard footsteps running behind her. She swung around to see Lily and James hurrying after her. Alice tensed, getting ready to sprint away. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now. But before she could even move, they had reached her, Lily clinging onto her right arm and James her left. "Alice? Alice, what's wrong?" Lily was saying urgently, but Alice didn't hear – all she could hear were Sirius's words echoing in her head: "_I'd be ashamed to show my face around here too_…"

"Leave me alone," Alice said, struggling half-heartedly to get away. "I just want to be alone."

James and Lily both hung on grimly. "You can't have been that upset about dropping the bottles," James said, sounding slightly confused. "I know it must have been embarrassing, but…"

Alice brushed away a tear impatiently. "That's not what I'm upset about! Look, I'm going back up to the castle, I'll talk to you later." She tried one last desperate attempt to get away, but it was impossible. Lily and James were clinging to her like limpets.

"What's the matter, Alice? You can talk to us, you know," Lily said pleadingly. Her bright green eyes bored into Alice's, silently begging her to tell her what had happened. Alice sighed. Lily knew her so well. She did want to talk to her. But what about James? Sirius was his best friend, after all, and she didn't want James to know how malicious he'd been. She cast a glance at him and saw that he was staring at her, his jaw set determinedly. He obviously wasn't going anywhere until she had told him what was up. _Well, and why shouldn't I, _she thought stubbornly, _after what he's just said to me! _Reluctantly Alice told them about her conversation with Sirius.

By the time she had finished her recollection, Lily was seething with anger. "That insensitive git, how _dare _he…" she fumed.

"They're never going to forget about it, are they," Alice said dully. It was a statement rather than a question. "Wherever I go, it's going to follow me. I'll be stuck with it for the rest of my life. Now matter how much I run from it, it'll always catch up with me."

"You're going to let _him _get to you?" Lily cried incredulously. "Alice, just because some snarky bastards make stupid comments doesn't mean you should hide away for the rest of your life!"

James was looking worried. "That doesn't sound like Sirius. Are you sure you didn't mishear?"

"What is there to mishear?" Alice snapped. "I definitely heard what he said. I was surprised he'd make that kind of comment, actually, especially considering what _his _family are like…"

"It's just…" James cast his eyes downward. "He's going through a really bad time at the moment. I'm sure he didn't mean what he said."

"Don't you ever get tired of defending him?" Lily snapped. Alice jumped. It was the first time Lily had spoken harshly to James since that day on the train. James looked slightly taken aback too. "Just because he's going through a bad time doesn't mean he has to take it out on other people," Lily continued indignantly, folding her arms. "There was no need for a spiteful comment like that."

"I know that," James said defensively. "And I'm going to talk to him about it. I'm just saying we should give him some leeway, that's all."

"Leeway," Alice said in disgust. "Ha!"

"I'd better go back," James said quietly. "I'll talk to him, Alice, don't worry. Are you coming, Lily?"

Lily hesitated. "Are you sure you don't want to stay, Alice?"

Alice shuddered. "I'm positive."

"Do you want me to come back with you?"

"No, don't worry about it," Alice said. "I just want to be alone for a while."

Lily gave her a long, searching look. "OK then. I'll see you later?"

Alice nodded, waving her away. She and James began to weave their way back through the crowd. Alice waited until they had disappeared back into the Three Broomsticks before turning and heading back towards Hogwarts.

Alice walked as quickly as she could, but the Hogwarts castle loomed in the distance, not seeming to get any closer. She was aware of her feet moving in quick, rapid steps, but all she could hear were Sirius' words in her head: _I'd be ashamed to show my face… _Alice shook her head furiously, trying to clear her thoughts. Looking up, she realised with some surprise that she had made it: the main doors to the castle were a couple of metres away from her.

Alice paused for a moment, shifting from one foot to the other, unsure where to go next. The library had always been her favourite place when she wanted solitude, but for some reason she didn't want to go there. She hesitated, then pushed open the doors. She began hurrying up to Ravenclaw tower, hoping and praying it would be empty.

There were a couple of people in the common room who looked up as Alice dashed in. Alice, however, didn't look at them: she practically sprinted up to the dormitory and slammed the door. Breathing heavily, she leaned on the door, waiting for her heart to stop pounding. After a couple of minutes she crossed the room, pulled open a drawer, took out a quill, parchment and ink bottle, flopped down on her bed and began to write.

It took her almost half an hour to finish the letter; Alice was surprised when she looked at the clock and saw how long it had taken her, especially when she looked back down and saw how short the letter was – barely a page long. Alice wondered if it was long enough. She quickly skimmed it over and decided that it was fine before folding it up and hunting for an envelope. She sealed the letter and then made her way to the Owlery.

Outside the door, Alice paused for a moment. A little voice kept nagging in the back of her head: _Are you sure this is what you really want? _"Yes," Alice said out loud, trying to convince herself. "This is what I want," she said with more force. A passing first-year gave her a scared look and hurried away. Alice almost laughed at the irony, despite feeling cold and miserable inside. That had cinched it for her; she pushed open the Owlery door and went inside. Alice selected an owl at random and hesitated one more time before giving it the letter. "Take this to Persephone Tyler," she said to the owl, which nipped her finger before swooping out of the window. Alice stood and watched it fly away until it became just a speck in the distance. Then she turned and left the room dully.

"It's done now," she said sternly to herself. "You can't take it back." She turned on her heel and left the room, heading for Dumbledore's office. "Mint humbug," she said to the stone gargoyle when she reached it, and it sprang to life to let her pass. Alice hurried up the stairs, not even sure what she was going to say. When she got to the top nervousness had overcome her, and she knocked timidly. There was no answer.

_He probably didn't hear me, _Alice realised, and knocked again, more loudly. Still no answer. Alice rapped sharply on the door and to her surprise, it swung open under her knuckles. Alice peeped in cautiously. A quick scan of the room told her it was empty.

Alice hovered for a moment, half in and half out of the door. She didn't want to go searching for Dumbledore, there would be too many people to run into. _Surely he won't mind if I just wait for him here, _Alice said to herself, before sliding into the room and shutting the door quietly.

Alice gazed around the room. She had never really noticed Dumbledore's office before; the handful of times she had been in there she had been too preoccupied to admire the décor. But now she looked around in awe. Portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses looked down at her suspiciously. "Trespassing, are we?" one of them, a hook-nosed wizard with a long grey beard and moustache, snapped at her. Alice ignored it and sat down in a chair opposite Dumbledore's desk. Behind the desk was a large wooden case filled with books. The Sorting Hat sat on the top. On the other side of the room, Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, was perched on a silver stand, head tucked under his wing, apparently asleep.

Alice's gaze swept over the desk. Something sticking out from under a pile of books caught her eye. Alice cast a furtive glance around, double-checking that nobody was there, and cautiously pulled the piece of paper out from under the books. "Nosing around, are we?" a voice cried, making Alice almost jump out of her skin. It was the headmaster in the portrait again, glaring at her. "It's none of your business what's on that desk. You're acting very suspiciously, you are."

Alice glared back at the portrait. Annoying as it was, she didn't feel like she should disrespect an old Hogwarts headmaster, so instead she bit her tongue and resisted the urge to tell it to shut up. She glanced down at the piece of black-and-white paper in her hand. It was an article cut out from a newspaper, with today's date written on it. Alice frowned. She had read the _Daily Prophet _this morning and hadn't noticed an article like this. It must have been from another newspaper.

Alice scanned the headline: _Corpse Stolen From St. Mungo's. _Alice shuddered at the thought. "What a twisted freak," she mumbled, setting the article back down on the desk. She didn't particularly want to read it, but Alice was a naturally inquisitive person and soon curiosity overwhelmed her disgust. She picked up the article again, holding it by the edge as if it had some disease that would be passed on if she held it too close to her, and began to read.

_Early this morning, the dead body of a witch was stolen from St. Mungo's hospital._

_The body, which was being kept for further tests, was found missing this morning when mediwizards went in to study it. However, there had been no sign of a break-in, and nobody had seen anything suspicious._

"_It must be the work of Dark magic," mediwitch Amelia King insists. "Guards and protection spells are put up all around the room to prevent things like this from happening. Only a very powerful witch or wizard would be able to break the spells."_

_The body in question is that of 38-year old Susan Pinkett, who was believed to be murdered by Cameron Tyler, 42. However, it is yet to be determined who would have a motive to steal the body._

"_It was a disgusting and sick thing to do," says Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold. "Thorough investigations are being carried out. We won't rest until we found Cameron Tyler _and_ the person who stole the body."_

Alice felt slightly faint. Somebody had actually _stolen _Susan Pinkett's body? "Please, please don't let Violet have seen this," Alice begged silently to herself. Of course, she probably already knew, Alice realised with a sinking heart. That poor girl.

Alice examined the piece of newspaper again curiously. She didn't know much about how newspapers were set out, but this seemed like a pretty big story to her. Why was it such a small article? Probably the Ministry trying to hush it all up, Alice thought grumpily. She was just pondering over this though when she heard a voice behind her: "Miss Tyler?"

Alice almost jumped out of her skin. Clutching the article to her chest, she spun around in her seat to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway, curiosity and amusement twinkling in his bright blue eyes.

"Oh – er – Professor…" Alice noticed that Dumbledore wasn't looking at her face, but at the piece of paper she was twisting around in her hands. She hastily tossed it back onto the table. "I was just…"

Dumbledore smiled faintly. "Curiosity is not a sin, Miss Tyler."

Alice could feel her face reddening. "I… er…"

Dumbledore didn't comment further. "You wanted to see me?"

"Er… yes." Alice wasn't really sure how to phrase what she was about to say. "I – well – since everything happened with my uncle and everything," Alice started, then stopped, feeling awkward. Dumbledore was looking at her calmly, as if he anticipated what she was going to say. _Just get to the point, Alice! _Alice cleared her throat. "I want to leave Hogwarts."

_There. You've said it. _Alice swallowed hard and looked nervously at Dumbledore. His expression hadn't changed at all. He didn't even blink. There was silence for a few moments, during which Alice wished she had never even come. _This is what you want, _Alice told herself, ignoring the nagging feeling of doubt at the back of her mind.

Alice bit her lip, quite unnerved at the silence and acutely aware of Dumbledore's piercing gaze on her. "I've already written home about it," Alice said haltingly. "I mean – I just thought it would be better for everyone. The other students don't want me here, and –"

"You are sure of that?" Dumbledore asked, interrupting her in mid-flow.

"Well –" Alice was thrown for a moment. "It's quite obvious that they don't like me or my family."

"I see." Dumbledore walked across the room and sat down at his desk opposite Alice. "Do you think every student feels this way?"

"Well – James and Lily don't, I suppose," Alice admitted. "And Holly Gordon says she doesn't think it's my fault. But everywhere I go, it just feels as if people are glaring at me and whispering about me."

Dumbledore steepled his fingers together on his desk. "Are you sure you're not just suffering from a case of paranoia?" he asked, and Alice thought she detected a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's to be expected in a case like this."

"No!" Alice said indignantly. "Well – I mean – it would just make everyone happier if I left."

"I see," Dumbledore said. "Even Mr Potter, Miss Evans and Miss Gordon? It seems to me that those three would be very unhappy if you leave."

"Three out of a thousand isn't much," Alice pointed out.

"Even if those three are the most important people in the school to you?" Dumbledore asked with a knowing smile. "Even if theirs are the only opinions you care about?"

"No – I mean, yes," Alice hedged, beginning to get a bit flustered. Dumbledore seemed to be able to see right through her. "I do care what everyone thinks about me, and I don't want to be hated."

"And you feel the only solution is to leave Hogwarts." It was a statement, not a question.

_No. _"Yes," Alice said, setting her jaw determinedly.

Dumbledore surveyed her silently for a few moments. "Don't you have NEWTs next year? Do you think it wise to leave school at such an important time?"

"I can study at home," Alice said without hesitation. "My dad can help me when he's not too busy. The rest I can study from textbooks."

"Not everything can be learnt from books, Miss Tyler," Dumbledore said, his steady gaze fixated on Alice. Alice got the feeling he wasn't just talking about schoolwork. "I know," she said quietly. "But I can try."

There was silence again for a few moments. Alice pretended to be very interested in studying her fingernails. Eventually Dumbledore spoke again.

"Running away doesn't solve problems, Miss Tyler," Dumbledore said quietly. "In fact, it may make things worse for you in the long run."

Alice slowly raised her head until she met Dumbledore's gaze. "I know I can't run away from what happened," she said. "But it's just something I have to do. I just want to lay low for a while, until all the fuss has died down."

Some of the light seemed to leave Dumbledore's eyes. "I don't think the fuss is going to die down, Alice," he said matter-of-factly. Alice noted that it was the first time Dumbledore had called her by her given name. "In fact, I think it will only increase over time."

Alice didn't say anything, just lifted her chin defiantly. Dumbledore sighed heavily. "I must say I'm disappointed in you, Miss Tyler," he said gravely.

Alice felt her insides twist up and tie themselves together in a knot, as they always did when a teacher told her off, but being told that she had disappointed them was even worse somehow. Alice cringed at the look on Dumbledore's face. She had always tried so hard to please people.

_Well, not any more, _she told herself grimly. _You've been trying to please people your whole life, and look where it's got you. You've made your mind up, and you're sticking to it. _But now she wasn't so sure any more. She was vaguely aware of Dumbledore telling her that she could pack her things and leave the next morning, but she wasn't really listening. "Thank you, sir," Alice said listlessly when Dumbledore had finished talking, and she left the room with a heavy heart. Outside the door, she leaned against the wall for a moment, contemplating what she had done. "Well, it's too late now," she said dully, before beginning to descend the stairs. She had no choice. She had to leave Hogwarts.

Alice slowly left the office and walked down the corridor, wanting to appreciate the castle as much as she could before she left. She knew she should probably go and talk to James and Lily, but she didn't really feel up to telling them. "Besides, they're probably still in Hogsmeade," she mumbled to herself, anger bubbling up inside her as she thought of Sirius and his tactless comment. This strengthened her resolve slightly, and she turned abruptly and headed for Ravenclaw tower. She supposed she should get started on her packing.

It was empty up in the dormitory. Alice presumed everyone was still in Hogsmeade, enjoying themselves. Alice slowly pulled out her suitcase from under the bed and began pulling clothes out of the drawers, folding and re-folding them so that it took as long as possible. Finally everything was packed. Alice sat down on the bed and gazed around the room. It wasn't untidy, but it had a lived-in feel to it. Alice then glanced at her own chest of drawers, bare and empty, and her bed, made and neatly folded down. Alice sighed. More than ever, she felt as if she had made the wrong choice. But she couldn't go back on her word.

"Aaargh!" Alice jumped as the door swung open and Belinda came storming in. _Great. Just what I need right now, another showdown with that snobby cow. _But Belinda didn't seem to notice her. She stomped over and threw herself dramatically on her own bed. Alice wondered if there was any way she could sneak out without Belinda noticing, but Belinda obviously decided to acknowledge Alice's presence and sat up. "What can I do to get Sirius to notice me?" she asked.

Alice blinked. _That _she hadn't expected. She had thought Belinda would bite her head off again. "What?"

"Nothing is working!" Belinda groaned. "I bumped into him in the Three Broomsticks earlier on, but he completely ignored me. Lily was there too, and what's-her-name, that mousy girl."

Alice felt a flicker of annoyance at hearing Belinda call Holly mousy, but she didn't have time to comment. Belinda was steamrollering on. "Lily was the only one who even seemed to notice me, but she completely brushed me off. She asked me to come up here and to tell you to meet her in the library before dinner. I might as well have been invisible!"

"Why don't you get your uncle to murder someone? That ought to get his attention," Alice said moodily.

Belinda rolled her eyes. "Merlin, you're not still going on about that, are you?"

Alice frowned. "What?"

It was then that Belinda seemed to notice Alice's trunk and empty chest of drawers. "Where are you going?" she asked, knitting her eyebrows together in confusion.

Alice sighed. She didn't see much point in denying it; she would be gone the next morning. "Home," she admitted. "I think it would be best right now, what with the whole school hating me and all."

"Hating you?" Belinda asked incredulously. "Nobody hates you!"

"Oh, right," Alice said sarcastically. "I mean, you didn't put the Leg-Locker curse on me and force me to admit that I was in on it too, or anything."

Belinda actually looked faintly embarrassed. It was the first time Alice had ever seen her look like that. "Yes, well," Belinda said, hastily brushing it aside. "That was then, and this is now. Look, maybe some people were annoyed with you when the story first broke out –"

"Ha!" Alice interrupted. "Annoyed is an understatement!"

"But not any more," Belinda continued, as if Alice hadn't spoken. "Look, everyone's over it now! In fact, I think you're the only person who keeps going on and on about it."

"But –" Alice couldn't think of anything to say. "But today in the Three Broomsticks, I was getting dirty looks from everyone!"

Belinda raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's not an overstatement?"

"Well – maybe," Alice admitted grudgingly. "But then Sirius said that if he were me, he's be ashamed to show his face around here –"

"Well, his family aren't exactly saints either," Belinda pointed out. "Since when do you care what he thinks? In fact, since when did you care what _anybody _thinks?"

"Since now," Alice protested weakly. "Well, I don't care what Sirius thinks. But I care what other people think!"

"Why?" Belinda asked. "I mean, what makes other people any better than Sirius? Why do you need their opinions to decide what you're like? You know yourself better than anyone, after all. It's your life, and you should be able to decide what you do with it, not do what everyone else wants."

Alice couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew that Belinda was an intelligent girl, academic-wise, but she was a bit of an airhead when it came to people skills. Now, here she was, spouting at Alice like a psychologist. And what's more – and here Alice couldn't believe she was thinking this – what she said was actually making _sense. _"Belinda," Alice said suddenly. "You are completely right. Why should I just give in to what everyone else wants? I should start doing what _I _want."

"Right," Belinda agreed. "And besides, Suzanne told me that Violet said that she doesn't blame you at all."

"Really?" Alice asked, her spirits lifting, hoping against hope that it was true.

Belinda nodded in confirmation. "She said she never blamed you in the first place – she knows it's not your fault and she doesn't want you to feel guilty about it – after all, there was nothing you could have done to stop it."

It was like a huge weight had been lifted off Alice' shoulders. She could cope with everyone else hating her as long as she knew Violet didn't hold a grudge against her.

Belinda looked impatient. "Now can we please get back to _my _problem?"

Alice's face suddenly fell. "But I already told Dumbledore that I was leaving," she said dismally. "And I wrote home to get my parents to pick me up tomorrow."

Just as she'd finished speaking, a snowy-white owl came swooping in through the open window, circled the room a few times, and dropped a letter into Alice's lap. Alice recognised the handwriting as her mother's and tore it open.

_Alice,_

_There is no way that your father and I are coming to pick you up tomorrow. Even if there was a good reason for you to come home, we're both too busy at work. Just because people are saying things to you about Cameron, there is no reason for you to run scared. Rise above it! I know it's hard right now, but the worst thing would be for you to come home. You'd be disappointing us – and what's worse, you'd be disappointing yourself. Hogwarts is the best place for you – I don't believe that you truly want to come home. Try and cope with it as best as you can – and just ignore what everyone's saying. I'm sure it'll all be forgotten soon._

_Love always,_

_Mum._

Alice couldn't help it; she felt a huge grin spread across her face. She was staying after all!

She jumped up, knocking the letter to the floor, and did something she had never done before: she flung her arms around Belinda and gave her a genuine hug. Belinda staggered, almost falling, and squealed, "Mind my hair!"

"Belinda," Alice said, releasing her with a grin. "I never thought I'd be saying this, but thanks for making me see sense."

And Alice couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw a faint blush of pride spread across Belinda's face.

**A/N: Whew, longest chappie I've written so far! Hope you all enjoyed. You'll be happy to know that the next two chapters are all done and dusted; it's just a question of getting them beta-d. Next time: Hogwarts announces a Christmas Ball, Alice rebels against the system (or just her own inner feelings), and yet more dead bodies. Just another regular old week at Hogwarts.**


	7. Chapter 7

**OK guys – Chapter 7, perfected! Thanks go to Anya (you're amazing!) and the readers – Flutterby Princess, katemary77, BlackSnowPetals, Artemis Wilde, Lady Charity, JessMiddy, and heartbreaker - all the writing is for you guys!**

Thanks to Belinda, Alice felt a lot happier over the next few days. Knowing that nobody was really interested in what she was doing any more, Alice was able to relax and let loose a bit more. Unfortunately, the teachers were becoming more and more anxious, and they were piling huge amounts of homework on them, much to Alice's annoyance.

As the weather grew colder and Christmas drew nearer, Alice began to grow restless. It seemed as if nothing interesting was happening – unless you counted studying, studying and _more _studying, which Alice _didn't._

"I'm bored!" Alice announced one morning. Hail was hammering down against the windows, and she and Lily were in the library doing yet more homework.

Lily glanced up from the book she was reading. "Alice Tyler, bored of homework?" she asked, pretending to be shocked. "I've never heard such blasphemy!"

"Oh, thanks," Alice replied. She frowned. "You know, I actually used to like homework. Now it just seems so – _boring_."

"You finally figured it out?" Lily asked wryly.

"I mean it," Alice insisted. "It's not just homework that's boring. _Everything's _boring. _I'm _boring."

"You're not boring," Lily said, raising her eyebrows, "but you _are_ being a bit of a complainer. You know we've got NEWTs next year. We need to study."

"What, every single minute of the day?" Alice asked, bouncing up from her chair. "You know what they say about all work and no play…"

"Alice, you _like _schoolwork," Lily said, narrowing her eyes at Alice over her book. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," Alice said. She whipped the book out of Lily's hands, ignoring her protests. "I was just thinking that maybe I should reinvent myself."

"What?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Lily, everyone thinks we're uptight!" Alice pointed out. "I don't want to be regular, boring old Alice any more! I've been like that my whole life. And I had this talk with Belinda a couple of weeks ago –"

"You're actually listening to what Belinda says?" Lily looked surprised.

"She said that I should do what I want to do, not what everyone else wants me to do," Alice continued. "Everyone expects me to be honest, reliable, studious… which all adds up to _boring_."

"Are you aware that you've used the word boring about ten times in the past two minutes?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows.

Alice ignored her. "Lily, I want to get rid of this reputation I've got."

"Why?" Lily asked, grabbing the book back from Alice. "This is who you are. You've always been like this. Why do you want to change?"

"Because!" Alice said, then stopped. She wasn't really sure why she wanted to change. Her talk with Belinda had made her realise that all her life she had been a conformist: her father wanted her to be a good student, so she was a good student, her mother wanted her to be brave and honest, so Alice had stayed at school when she felt like everyone hated her. The teachers expected her to work every night and get good results in the NEWTs, all the other students expected her to be perfect and never make any mistakes… Alice knew she wasn't perfect, and what's more, she didn't _want _to be perfect. She wanted to do what _she _wanted, not what everyone else wanted, and people expected her to be bossy, uptight and studious. Well, Alice didn't want to be like that any more. Things were about to change.

"Besides," Lily said, going back to her book, "it's not a very good idea to slack off when we've got our NEWTs next year, is it?"

"I didn't say I wanted to slack off," Alice protested. She still wanted to get good results, after all. "I'm just fed up of being predictable, that's all. Come on, Lily, let's do something crazy!"

"Like what?" Lily asked warily.

"Like…" Alice bit her lip and looked around. "I know where James keeps his Dungbombs. We could let one off in the corridor!"

"I'd hardly class that as doing something crazy," Lily said wryly. "I can't, anyway. I'm Head Girl – I'm supposed to set an example to the younger students. Besides, I don't want to get in trouble."

"Yeah, me neither," Alice admitted. She racked her brains for a moment. She wanted to do something reckless, something daring… but something that wouldn't get her into a lot of trouble. _Is that even possible? _Alice wondered. Well, it must be. James did it all the time.

"Come on, Lily, we've been studying for two hours," Alice begged. "Can we just go and sit outside or something?"

"Alice, it's _hailing_," Lily pointed out, gesturing towards the window.

"Well, I want to do _something_," Alice declared, jumping up from her seat. "Let's just go and find Holly. I haven't seen her for ages, and I want to know how everything's going with Remus."

Lily sighed, putting her book back in her bag. "If we must."

The two girls left the library to find the corridor surprisingly crowded. "What's going on?" Lily asked, craning her neck to look over the heads of the groups of students milling around.

Alice shrugged. "Nothing exciting, probably. Everyone always gets worked up about nothing."

She and Lily began to weave their way down the packed corridor. Someone bumped into Alice and trod on her foot. "Ow!" Alice said indignantly. She looked up to see that it was Lucius Malfoy.

"Watch where you're going," Lily snapped. Lucius, however, didn't take any notice of her; he just smirked at Alice and walked away.

"He fancies you," Lily commented as Alice fell back into step beside her.

"As if," Alice protested. "I doubt he even knows my name. Besides, the only person he's in love with is himself."

"And his money," Lily added.

"Exactly," Alice agreed. "I probably wouldn't be good enough for the _honourable _Malfoys," she said sarcastically.

"Hey, look! There's Holly." Lily changed the subject abruptly and pointed to the small blonde girl who was waving them over.

"What's up?" Alice asked as she and Lily joined Holly, squeezing into the small space in between two excitedly chattering groups of people. "What is everyone so thrilled about?"

"Haven't you heard yet?" Holly asked in surprise.

"Heard what?" Lily frowned.

"There's going to be a Christmas ball!"

Holly's news was met by two very different reactions: a squeal of delight from Lily and a groan from Alice, who found two faces staring at her curiously.

"What's wrong?" Holly asked in dismay. "Don't you like dances?"

"It's not that I don't _like _them," Alice sighed.

"Then what?" Lily frowned.

"It's just…" Alice bit her lip. "There's always so much pressure to find a date for these stupid things."

"So?" Holly asked, sounding confused. "You won't have a problem with that. You're really outgoing when you talk to boys."

"Yes," Alice said glumly. "But I'm outgoing as in bossy interfering superbitch, as I'm so constantly reminded. Boys always see me as a know-it-all, or 'just James's cousin'."

"That's bull," Lily said bluntly. "And besides," she added, her eyes sparkling, "there might be one boy in particular who wants to take you to the ball, Alice."

_Oh God. _Alice groaned inwardly. _Shut up, Lily, please… _She sent Lily silent begging signals with her eyes, pleading with her not to say anything in front of Holly. Lily seemed to take the hint and shut her mouth. Alice breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that she didn't trust Holly, but she didn't want rumours flying around that Lucius fancied her when it probably wasn't even true.

Holly was looking back and forth between them, a puzzled expression on her face. Lily must have noticed this and abruptly changed the subject.

"Hey, Holly, how did you find out about the ball?" she asked conversationally.

"There's a notice pinned up about it on the doors of the Great Hall," Holly told them. "Come on, I'll show you."

The three girls made their way along the corridor to the Great Hall, where large groups of giggling girls were clustered around the doors. Alice noticed Belinda with Jen and Suzanne, and smiled briefly at her. Belinda gave a half-smile back, an unspoken truce passed between them.

"There," Holly said, pointing. She, Alice and Lily squeezed through the assembled people until they were right in front of the doors. Alice read the notice dutifully:

_TO ALL 4TH-7TH YEARS_

_This year, Hogwarts has decided to have a Christmas ball. The ball will be held on December 22nd, and dress robes are required for those who wish to attend. Nobody below fourth year may attend unless invited by an older student. Your Heads of Houses will give you more information should you require it. Happy Christmas!_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Alice glanced at Lily, who was still reading, her face shining with excitement.

"Isn't it great?" Holly asked breathlessly. "I just hope someone asks me."

"That's really sexist," Alice said moodily. "Why do we have to sit around waiting for boys to ask us? I mean, what's wrong with us asking them?"

"Don't be so grumpy," Lily said, elbowing Alice cheerfully. "You can ask someone if you want."

Alice shook her head fiercely. She _didn't _want. In fact, she didn't know why she had jumped on Holly in the first place. It wasn't that she was such a big feminist or anything, it was just that she was trying to find something, _anything, _to criticise about the ball.

Truthfully, Alice didn't think she'd be able to go anyway. She was certain that no one would ask her, and she'd rather chew off her own arm than ask someone herself. The only thing more pathetic than not going, Alice reflected, would be going without a date. It was even harder when she had a best friend as gorgeous as Lily. Even Holly was pretty in her own way. Alice was sure they'd have boys queuing up to ask them to the ball. Next to them, Alice could only describe herself as plain – dark brown hair, brown eyes, freckles, average height, average weight. There was nothing special or distinguishable about her.

_Oh well, _Alice thought glumly, _it's not like there was anyone who I'd want to ask me, anyway._

"Hey, look, the hail's stopped," Lily said, pointing at the window. "Shall we go and walk around the grounds a bit?"

Alice and Holly nodded. "So are you two both staying for the holidays?" Holly asked as the three girls made their way to the doors.

Lily shook her head. "My sister Petunia has a new boyfriend, Vernon something, and she's invited him over for Christmas dinner. I don't think she wants him to know that I'm a witch." Lily pulled a face. "In fact, she'd probably try to pretend I didn't exist if she could."

Lily's tone of voice was light, but Alice knew that she was upset that she didn't get along better with her sister. Lily and Petunia had never been close, but ever since Lily had come to Hogwarts, the wedge between them had grown even bigger. Alice remembered one year when she had visited Lily in the summer holidays. Lily and Petunia had been arguing over the TV remote, and Lily had got so angry that the remote had flown across the room and landed in Lily's outstretched hand, hitting Petunia in the arm as it did so. Petunia had been horrified. "Lily, you're a FREAK!" she had screamed, before bolting from the room. Lily had laughed it off and tried to pretend that she didn't mind, but Alice could tell that Petunia's words had hurt her.

"What about you, Alice?" Holly asked.

Alice shrugged. "I'll probably stay as well. My parents are really busy at work at the moment, and even if I do go home, they'll be at work all the time and I'll end up being stuck on my own."

"Ahh, you poor neglected thing," Lily teased. Alice elbowed her playfully.

Holly pushed open the door and as soon as they stepped outside, a cold wind whipped through Alice's hair. Alice shivered, pulling her cloak tighter round her. She had always liked the cold weather. Everything seemed so much more _real _in winter – the trees, stripped of their leaves, gleamed starkly against the slate-grey sky, and the ground glistened with puddles where the hail had melted. It was such a contrast to what Hogwarts looked like in the summer, with bright green grass and trees full of blossom, which was nice, but Alice always thought it looked like a picture in a children's storybook – too vivid and garish to be real.

The girls wandered over to the lake in companionable silence. Alice idly watched the tiny waves lapping in and out against the soil; the water was dark and murky, almost pitch black, the colour it usually only looked at night-time. Alice always half-wished that the lake would freeze over in winter, but it was simply too big and fast moving for that.

As they approached the lake, Alice noticed a group of students huddled together, whispering. She nudged Lily. "Wonder what that's all about."

Lily didn't seem too interested. "Probably just gabbing about the ball, I reckon."

Alice, however, didn't think so. The voices speaking in hushed tones didn't sound excited; they sounded alarmed and even a little panicked. While Lily and Holly chattered about the ball and what they were going to wear, Alice moved closer to the group, pretending to be looking for stones to skim but actually straining to hear what they were saying.

They were talking too quietly for Alice to hear, but she could see that they were huddled around something. Alice edged a bit closer until she could just see over their shoulders. It was a newspaper cutting, and if Alice squinted she could see that it was dated yesterday. The headline screamed TWO MORE BODIES FOUND.

A wave of nausea began to build up in the pit of Alice's stomach; she pushed it down and forced herself to read the article:

Late last night, two more dead bodies were stolen from St Mungo's hospital. Since the incident of last month, security had been bumped up around the wards: more protection spells had been issued, and two trained Aurors were placed outside the wards to ensure nothing would happen. However, mediwitch Amelia King, who spoke to us last month, went in this morning to find the bodies missing and the Aurors Stunned.

The Ministry are said to be furious and bewildered at who could have the power to do this. However, there is some talk that this may be the work of He Who Must Not Be Named. The Ministry refused to comment.

The bodies –

"Did you want something?"

Alice jumped, startled, to see the group of students glaring at her frostily.

"Oh – erm –" Alice took a step back, feeling a blush creeping up at being caught snooping. "No, I was just –" Unable to find an excuse, she turned hurriedly and half-walked, half-jogged back over to Lily and Holly.

"What were they saying to you?" Lily asked curiously as Alice arrived, slightly breathless and embarrassed.

"Nothing," Alice said, not wanting to tell Lily about the article. "You were right, they're just all hyped up for the ball."

Lily raised her eyebrows. Alice cringed, knowing that she sounded completely insincere, but she held her best friend's gaze and gave her a fleeting smile. Lily obviously didn't believe her, but she didn't comment further, just pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and said, "Come on, let's go back inside, I'm freezing."

As they trudged back up to the school, Alice's mind was whirling with questions. Who was powerful enough to get past trained Aurors? Was it really Voldemort? What would anyone want with the bodies in the first place? And the most important question of all – the one she didn't think anyone could answer – what the hell was going on?

Alice shivered. She felt cold suddenly, and not just because of the weather. She hated the fact that she didn't know what was happening – or what was going to happen. Alice had a firm belief that there was an answer to everything; that knowledge could be gained from looking in the right places. But how could she find anything when she didn't know where to look? Alice felt scared – and not just for herself, but for the entire wizarding world.

It was silent in the Ravenclaw seventh-year girls' dormitory. The only sound was that of rustling pages from the book Alice was reading.

Alice sighed in frustration and closed the book, stashing it in the top drawer next to her bed. Holding her illuminated wand to the clock on top of the drawers, she saw that is was just past midnight. Alice rolled over onto her back and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come. She had been trying in vain to fall asleep for the past hour, but it was useless – she just wasn't tired.

A muffled snort made Alice sit up in bed with a start. Swinging her wand around, she realised with some relief that it was only Jennifer in the next bed, snoring. The relief quickly turned to annoyance as her snoring grew louder. Alice sighed – there was absolutely no chance of her getting to sleep now.

Alice swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. She began to pace up and down, trying to be as quiet as she could so as not to wake the others, all the while wondering what to do to make herself feel sleepy. Reading hadn't worked, staring into space hadn't worked, and just lying there willing sleep to come had proven the least effective of all. Suddenly an idea came over her – but she dismissed it immediately. It was stupid – wasn't it?

Alice paused in her pacing. Maybe it wasn't so stupid. She knew James and the others sneaked out of their dormitories at night all the time – why shouldn't she?

Because you'll get into trouble, a voice at the back of her head told her.

James does it all the time, and he never gets caught, another, louder voice argued.

They've got the Invisibility Cloak, Alice reminded herself.

But you've still got the map.

This sudden realisation spurred Alice on. Quickly she walked over to her dresser and pulled open the bottom drawer, shifting books and papers until she found the map at the very bottom. Touching her wand to the parchment, she muttered, "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good," and watched as ink blossomed over the pages and the tiny lines began to fill in.

Alice stood there for a moment, map in left hand, wand in right. Do I really dare to do this? she wondered.

Why not? the louder voice said. Maybe a walk will help tire you out. You've got the map, so you'll be able to see if a teacher's coming. And maybe – maybe doing this will help you shed the reputation you've got as boring, reliable old Alice.

Alice hesitated for only a split second longer before striding towards the door, slipping through and shutting it behind her with a soft click.

The Ravenclaw common room was pitch black and deadly silent – almost eerily so. The only light came from the dimly glowing embers of the dying fire, but it wasn't enough to see by and Alice stubbed her toe on an armchair. Cursing under her breath, she held her wand out as far as she could and fumbled her way to the stone archway.

Outside, Alice studied the map. Professor Slughorn was patrolling the corridors near the Great Hall, far away from the Ravenclaw tower. That made up Alice's mind not to go very far. Not very sure what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go, Alice set off in the general direction of the library, hoping that Slughorn wouldn't decide to come down here. He probably wouldn't do anything to her, seeing as her father was an Auror, but he was really very annoying and Alice didn't want a confrontation with him.

The corridors were deathly silent, so much so that Alice felt slightly creeped out. She heard a cough behind her and spun around, her heart hammering, holding her illuminated wand aloft.

"Hey!" a cranky voice snapped from her left. Alice jumped backwards and turned to see a portrait of a seventeenth-century man with a ruffle around his neck glaring down at her.

"Do you mind?" the portrait snapped, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the light. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Oh, right – sorry," Alice whispered, backing away. Breathing a sigh of relief, she checked the map again and saw that nobody was around. So why don't I feel reassured?

"Probably because of that nagging voice at the back of my head telling me I shouldn't be doing this," she muttered to herself. Still, not wanting to give up so easily, Alice continued down the corridor.

At the end of the corridor, three staircases loomed, dark and uninviting. Alice, who was feeling less and less like a rebel and more like an idiot, reluctantly decided to take the down one. As she slowly descended the steps, she decided to make this a short walk and then head back to bed.

At the bottom of the stairs, Alice stopped. The space in front of her was inky black, and even when she held her wand out as far as she could, she could barely see a metre in front of her. Alice took a cautious step forward. Her footstep sounded incredibly loud, the echo ringing on and on in the silent space.

"OK, enough's enough." Alice turned away and began to hurry back up the staircase, telling herself that she had made her point. Before she had even made it halfway up, though, her foot got caught in something and she tripped over, landing heavily on her elbows. The map fell out of her hands and tumbled down the staircase. Alice couldn't see exactly where it went, but she heard it land with a thud some way away from her. Looking down, Alice saw that she had stepped in one of the trick stairs and had sunk in down to her knee.

"Well, that's just fabulous," Alice groaned. She tried to pull her leg out, but it was stuck fast.

All of a sudden there was a cracking sound behind her. Alice whirled around, retrieving her wand from where it had clattered a couple of steps below her and thrusting it in the direction of the noise. She could see nothing, and again silence settled all around.

Alice found herself breathing heavily. OK, relax. It's probably nothing. You're just hearing things.

There was another cracking noise, followed by a sort of rustling, like a cloak swishing against the ground. Alice panicked, not wanting to be caught by a teacher and unable to reach the map. She grabbed hold of the stair in front of her and started desperately trying to yank her leg out. Slowly, like pulling something out of quicksand, it began to rise out from the stair.

A short laugh echoed through the dark space, followed by footsteps skittering across the floor. This made Alice jump so much that she let go of the stair and her leg sank back in. "Shit," she muttered, reaching blindly for her wand, just as a voice started up. "Alice…"

Alice swung her wand around. "Who's there?" she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"Alice…" the voice whispered again. More laughter.

Alice narrowed her eyes. She recognised that laugh…

"Sirius Black!" she hissed. "Come out at once!"

The laughing grew louder as Sirius appeared at the bottom of the stairs, pulling off what appeared to be James's Invisibility Cloak.

"You prat!" Alice said furiously, trying to wrench her leg out of the stair. "What the hell are you doing, wandering around here at night?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Sirius said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm…" Alice faltered. She couldn't think of a decent excuse. "It's none of your business," she said lamely.

"Well then, neither is what I'm doing," Sirius shot back. He noticed the map, still lying on the step, and picked it up. "I think this belongs to me," he smirked.

"Fine," Alice said, feeling like a complete idiot. "You can just go now, then." She turned her attention back to working herself free.

"Here." Alice felt Sirius take hold of her arm and her head snapped up in shock. After a split second's hesitation, Alice took hold of the stair in front again. She and Sirius tugged until her leg popped free with a glomping sound, as if it had been pulled out of mud.

Alice sat where she was for a moment, unsure of what to do. "Thanks," she said finally after a moment of awkward silence.

"No problem," Sirius said absent-mindedly, before turning and heading back down the stairs. At the bottom he paused as he checked the map. "You'd better hurry up," he told Alice conversationally. "Filch is heading this way." With that, he pulled on the Invisibility Cloak and disappeared from sight, leaving a very confused Alice sitting on the steps, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

**Hope you all enjoyed! Next chapter, time travel, dates to the ball, and a mysterious weapon…**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and to Anya, of course!

Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this? OK, fine, it's not mine. Happy now?

"Has anyone asked you yet?" Lily asked as she spread jam on her toast.

"No," Alice said shortly, pushing away her uneaten plate of scrambled eggs. She wasn't hungry this morning. "And to be honest, I'm not holding my breath."

It was exactly one week before the Christmas ball, and everyone, it seemed, had been bitten by the love bug. Alice didn't know what it was about dances that seemed to get everyone so worked up – it was just another day of the week to her.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Lily asked sternly. "You can't go through life with that sort of negative outlook, can you?"

Alice sighed. "Look, can we just drop it? I've had enough of Belinda and the others getting all squeaky about the ball; I don't need it from you too."

"There's no need to get testy about it," Lily said, sounding offended. "The ball's not a personal attack on you, you know."

Alice sighed. "I'm sorry, Lily. It's just; don't people have other stuff to worry about that what they're going to wear to the ball? It just seems kind of… superficial."

"Well, that's probably what people need right now," Lily said wisely. "You know, the whole thing with Voldemort and everything… I think everyone's looking forward to one night of frivolity, one night where they don't have to worry about what's going to happen next, or who's going to _die_ next – one night where they can have fun."

Alice had to admit that this was probably right. Lily always had been more in touch with people's emotions than she had. It was then that Alice noticed a small grey owl swoop through the window into the Great Hall.

"That's weird," Lily frowned. "The mail's already been."

Alice shrugged. "Probably just something arriving late." Her curiosity mounted, however, when the owl dropped a small piece of parchment next to her plate and flew back out the window, screeching.

Lily eyed the parchment as if it was a bomb about to explode. "What is it?" she asked suspiciously.

"A note?" Alice said cheekily.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

Alice shrugged and reached for it. It wasn't anything fancy; just a thick piece of parchment folded in half once, and when she opened it she could tell it had been written in a hurry:

_Miss Tyler,_

_Please report to my office at once._

_Professor Dumbledore._

"What do you think he wants?" Lily, who had been reading it upside down, wondered aloud.

"Dunno," Alice said with a frown. "I'd better go and see." Leaving her breakfast untouched, she tucked the parchment in her pocket and stood up. "See you in Transfiguration," she said to Lily before leaving the hall.

As she walked down the corridor, Alice mused over what Dumbledore could want. Was it something to do with her uncle? A faint glimmer of hope began to rise inside her. Maybe he had been caught! Alice's heart lifted and her pace quickened. She arrived at Dumbledore's office in record time.

Alice had just raised her fist to knock when the door opened and Dumbledore peered out. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything Dumbledore ushered her inside and shut the door hurriedly.

"I got your message," Alice began uncertainly, not really sure what to say. Dumbledore didn't appear to have heard her, however; instead he just strode over to his desk and picked up an enveloped that was sitting on top of a pile of books.

"Did you tell anyone you were coming?" Dumbledore asked, his back to Alice.

"Well… no. I mean, Lily saw your note, but…" Alice broke off, puzzled. Why was Dumbledore asking her this?

"I see." Dumbledore began to pace up and down, still holding the envelope, a slightly worried look in his eyes.

"Sir?" Alice said tentatively. "Are you… I mean, is everything OK?" Dumbledore was usually so calm and composed; she didn't like seeing him act so strangely.

Dumbledore stopped pacing and turned to Alice. "No," he said with a deep sigh. "I regret to say that it isn't."

Alice remained silent, unsure whether it would be OK to ask why. Dumbledore slowly walked over to her and put one hand on her shoulder. Alice began to feel slightly panicked. Dumbledore looked so sombre. What on earth could be the matter?

"I have had some news." Dumbledore began his pacing again. Alice wished he wouldn't do that; it made her uneasy. "News which… greatly disturbs me."

"What news?" Alice found that she was holding her breath. What did it have to do with her? Was it something to do with her family?

"I can't really go into detail now." Dumbledore sighed heavily. "All I can say is that Lord Voldemort has gained an… incredibly powerful weapon."

Alice relaxed slightly. Then the full impact of what Dumbledore had just said hit her. She felt her chest tighten until she could barely breathe. Voldemort – gaining a powerful weapon? This was terrible! "How powerful?" she asked in a strained voice.

"Powerful enough to destroy the world," Dumbledore said quietly.

Panic began to rise in Alice's chest. "But – we've got to stop him!" she said wildly. "There must be something we can do!"

"Calm down, Miss Tyler," Dumbledore said, raising a hand. Alice instantly fell silent. "There is something we can do," Dumbledore continued, "which brings us back to why I called you here in the first place. I need you to do something for me."

"OK," Alice said, her brow furrowing slightly. "What is it?"

Dumbledore walked over to the desk again and took something off it. Alice couldn't see what it was, as Dumbledore was blocking the view.

He turned and came back to stand beside her, gripping something in his left hand, something from which a thin gold chain dangled. Holding his hand out, he opened his fist to reveal an hourglass.

"A Time Turner," Alice said in surprise.

Dumbledore nodded. "Set to a precise date and time."

"When?" Alice asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"November 11th, 1944," Dumbledore informed her.

Alice did some quick calculations. 1944 was thirty-one years ago… somehow it seemed familiar to her.

"Tom Riddle's seventh year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, as if reading her mind.

Alice eyed the Time Turner uneasily. Just knowing that was where it was set to made her want to get as far away from it as possible. Dumbledore held it out to her, its gold chain winking in the bright light of the office.

"What is it for?" Alice asked, reluctant to take it.

When Dumbledore spoke again, his voice was calm. "I need you to go back in time and deliver this letter to my former self." Alice noticed the envelope that was still in Dumbledore's right hand.

"I don't understand," Alice said, confused. "How will that stop Voldemort from receiving this weapon?"

"It won't," Dumbledore said matter-of-factly, "but it will stall him for a certain amount of time… time in which we may be able to prevent him from getting it altogether."

Alice hesitated for a moment. If her doing this could prevent Voldemort from getting the weapon… then her decision should be obvious. Nevertheless, she was scared. This was a huge amount of responsibility for her. What if she failed? What if something happened to her? She wasn't at all anxious to go back to a time where Tom Riddle still roamed the halls of Hogwarts. "Why me?" she asked, trying to stall for time. "I mean, I'm sure there are other people who would be better candidates for a task like this…"

"Because I know you have the stubbornness and determination to succeed," Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his eye despite the desperate situation.

Alice smiled back weakly. Well, if Dumbledore had faith in her… "I'll do it," she said finally.

Dumbledore smiled and merely held out the Time Turner. Alice took it and placed it round her neck.

"We don't have much time," Dumbledore said, suddenly business-like. "Once you arrive, find my former self as quickly as you can. Give him the letter and wait until he has read it. He should then give you a small brown envelope. As soon as you have received it, return here immediately."

Alice nodded grimly. "Good luck," Dumbledore told her, handing her the letter. Alice took a deep breath and turned the hourglass over.

All at once, Alice had the odd sensation of being pulled about in two different directions. Everything seemed to whiz by at lightning speed; Alice couldn't make out anything solid and her feet didn't seem to be touching the ground. This went on for what seemed like hours, but must really have been less than a minute, until Alice felt the hard ground beneath her feet again. Everything stopped.

Feeling slightly breathless, Alice pulled off the Time Turner and stowed it away in her pocket. Clutching the letter to her chest, she glanced around. She was still in Dumbledore's office – but of course, it wasn't Dumbledore's yet, Alice reminded herself. Who had been headmaster in 1944? Alice cast her mind back to what she'd read in Hogwarts: A History before recalling the name Dippet.

Deciding she had better get out of there before anyone saw her, Alice made for the door and hurried down the stairs. When she emerged into the corridor she was shocked at how different everything looked. It was Hogwarts, but not the Hogwarts as she knew it. The corridors were lit only by candles, which cast an eerie glow across the portraits of old-fashioned looking men and women. As Alice looked at them, they scowled down at her and began muttering things that she couldn't quite hear. It was quite a contrast to the brightly-lit corridors and – for the most part – friendly paintings in the Hogwarts she was used to.

_What a nice atmosphere, _Alice thought, raising her eyebrows. Dumbledore must have seriously revamped the place when he became headmaster.

Thinking of Dumbledore reminded Alice of the task set to her and she journeyed down the corridor, ignoring the hushed whispers of the portraits.

She came to a corner and rounded it; bumping into someone as she did so. Startled, she stepped backwards to look into the face of a dark-haired boy, pale faced who was a good deal taller than her.

"What are you doing here?" the boy said sternly. "It's after hours – you should be in your dormitory."

Alice noticed the Head Boy badge pinned to his robes and her eyes widened. This – this was Tom Riddle! She took an automatic step backwards, terror squeezing at her heart like a cold fist. "I – I'm sorry," she stammered, fighting the impulse to run. "I'll just be g-going now." She turned and began to walk as quickly as she could, when she heard him call, "Wait!"

Alice froze. Should she run, or would that just make things worse? She slowly turned to face him, her heart thumping wildly.

"What's your name?" Tom asked with a frown. "I don't seem to recall your face."

Alice thought quickly. Telling him her real name would be a mistake, she knew that. "It's Dorcas Meadowes," she blurted out. As soon as she said it, she wanted to bite off her tongue.

_What the hell did you say that for? _Inside her head, Alice groaned. Why didn't she just make something up? And what had made her say Dorcas' name in the first place?

"Tom?"

Alice whirled around to see Dumbledore approaching – a much younger Dumbledore. His face was less wrinkled and his hair and beard were brown, not white – but the twinkle in his eye was still there behind his half-moon glasses.

"Professor Dumbledore," Tom greeted him. Alice remained silent.

"It's rather late to be wandering the halls, is it not?" Dumbledore turned his piercing gaze from Tom to Alice. "And who is this?"

"She says her name is Dorcas Meadowes," Tom said with a cold look at Alice. "I don't recognise her, sir."

Alice didn't look at him – she didn't think she could if she wanted to. She instead pretended to be very interested in a spot on the floor.

"Thank you, Tom," she heard Dumbledore say. "I'll take care of her. Go back to your dormitory."

Alice didn't raise her head, but heard Tom's footsteps begin to walk away. Dumbledore waited until he had rounded the corner before speaking. "Miss Meadowes?"

_Oh, right. That's me. _Alice raised her head to look at Dumbledore. "Follow me," he said curtly, turning and beginning to stride down the corridor. Alice followed, suddenly feeling very foolish. _Just give him the damn letter and leave! You shouldn't hang around here too long._

They came to a door, leading to which Alice presumed was Dumbledore's office and entered. The room was quite bare – there were the usual portraits on the wall and papers scattered across the desk, but other than that, there wasn't much to look at.

Dumbledore seated himself at his desk and Alice stood awkwardly, wondering if she should just thrust the envelope at him or wait for him to speak. Just as she was about to launch into an explanation, Dumbledore spoke.

"You are not from this time." It wasn't a question.

Alice couldn't think of any reply to this, so instead she just held out the envelope. Dumbledore took it with question, slit it open and began to read, while Alice tapped her foot anxiously. After what seemed like an age, but was probably only a couple of minutes, Dumbledore looked up. His eyes were cloudy, but Alice could see the determination in them.

Dumbledore waved his hand at the fireplace on the far side of the room: it immediately sprung to life with a splutter; occasionally emitting red hot sparks. Dumbledore walked over to the fire, letter still in hand. Deliberately he dropped the parchment onto the dancing flames. Alice watched as the edges grew charred and curled over in the burning embers, until eventually nothing was left save for a few cinders.

Once Dumbledore seemed to be satisfied that the letter was destroyed, he turned and strode over to a small space behind his desk. With a few muttered words in a language that Alice didn't understand and another wave of his hand, something in the space began to shimmer to life, like a bad TV picture crackling into focus. Eventually it began to take form and Alice saw that it was a small wooden cabinet, with a single drawer in it. Dumbledore reached out a hand and seemed to pluck something from mid-air: immediately a small golden key appeared. He inserted the key, turned it and pulled open the drawer. Alice craned her neck to see the object he was now taking out.

It was a small wooden box with a sapphire lock, which Alice eyed with suspicion. Somehow she didn't think it contained tomorrow's homework assignments. Whether deliberately or by accident, Alice didn't know, Dumbledore shifted so he was blocking the box from view. A few seconds later he moved again, and Alice could see that the box had now disappeared, presumably back in the drawer, which had vanished. Dumbledore's fist was clenched – he was obviously holding whatever it was he had taken from the box, and the object was small enough that Alice couldn't see it through his fingers. In one quick motion, he lifted the envelope and dropped the object in it. Much to Alice's disappointment, she hadn't caught a glimpse of what it was.

Dumbledore strode across the room and back to his desk, where he sealed the envelope. He then looked up at Alice, his eyes piercing into hers. Alice waited nervously for him to speak.

"Take this," was all he said eventually, holding out the envelope. Alice took it warily.

"Will you be able to get back to your own time?" Dumbledore asked.

Alice nodded. "I have a Time Turner," she said, holding it up. Curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't help but ask. "Professor – what is in the envelope?"

Dumbledore heaved a sigh. "I cannot say, Miss Tyler. All I can tell you is that it is an extremely powerful object, and you must get it to my future self as soon as possible."

A feeling of unease crept over Alice. She didn't feel too happy about carrying something like this around with her, but she supposed it had to be done. "I'd better go," she said, knowing that it would be a good idea to get whatever it was to someone who could be trusted with it.

"That would be wise," Dumbledore said with a nod.

Alice backed away towards the door. "Thank you, Professor," she managed to utter as she pushed open the door.

"Good luck." The two quiet words followed Alice as she left the office. As she began to descend the stairs, Alice realised something: Dumbledore had called her Miss _Tyler_.

"How is it that he seems to know everything?" she mused out loud as she stepped out into the corridor. Bemused, she lifted up the enveloped. "Whatever this weapon it, it's kind of small," she said in amusement. Holding it out in front of her, she gave it a slight, nervous shake. Nothing happened. Satisfied that it wasn't going to explode, Alice grasped the Time Turner and prepared to turn it over. Before she could move, however, somebody grabbed her by the shoulder.

Alice spun around, startled. Standing there, glaring down at her with cold eyes, was Tom Riddle.

Alice gasped and tried to step backwards, but Tom had her shoulder in an iron-like grip. Fear crashed over Alice like a waterfall. She reached desperately for the Time Turner, but quick as a flash, Tom had grabbed the envelope she was clutching and yanked it from her hand. It skidded across the floor and landed a few metres away against the wall.

Alice could only think of one word appropriate for the situation, and that word was _fuck_. There was no way she could go back without that envelope.

"You must think I'm completely stupid," Tom spat. Alice squeezed her eyes shut, trying to banish his malicious expression out of her head. It worked to some extent, but she couldn't block out the venom in his voice.

"You _and _that fool Dumbledore," Tom continued, his icy words seeping into Alice's skin. "I know you're not from this time."

"I…" Alice stammered, wildly trying to concoct a lie on the spot. "I don't… I mean…"

"I don't know what you're doing here, Miss Meadowes," Tom hissed, his fingers digging into her shoulder. "But believe me, I'm going to find out!"

To this day, Alice still didn't know how she managed it. All she could hear was her brain telling her to get out of there, _now_. She supposed both her fear and desperation must have given her strength she didn't know she had. All she could remember happening was wrenching her shoulder out of Tom's grasp and diving across the floor, fingers scrabbling wildly for the envelope. When she located it, she turned the Time Turner over and closed her eyes, praying; she heard Tom give a yell of anger from behind her and then she was gone, the familiar feeling of being lifted from the ground taking over.

A couple of seconds later she felt solid ground. Peeping through her lashes, she saw the hem of a robe on the floor in front of her. She dared gaze upwards and saw that she was back in Dumbledore's office, lying on the floor at his feet. Embarrassed, she jumped up and began to dust off her clothes.

"I trust by the envelope you're holding that you were successful?" Dumbledore gestured to her hand, and Alice thought she could see a twinkle of amusement in his eye.

"Well… yeah, I guess." Alice couldn't exactly say she had been _successful. _Oh, sure, she had brought back the – whatever it was in the envelope, but she had also been caught by Tom Riddle. And saying Dorcas Meadowes' name like that… Alice could have kicked herself for her stupidity. What if she had gotten her into some sort of trouble?

Dumbledore was looking at her expectantly. It took Alice a moment to catch on.

"Oh! Sorry." She held out the envelope. Dumbledore took it and turned it over a few times, eyeing it critically. Alice rather hoped he'd open it so she could see what was inside, but no such luck.

"Well, thank you, Miss Tyler." It sounded rather final, and Alice took it as a sign she should go. Feeling slightly put out at the casual dismissal, she headed for the door. Just as her hand touched the doorknob, she heard Dumbledore speak from behind her.

"Miss Tyler?"

Alice turned back. "Yes, Professor?"

Dumbledore was smiling at her kindly. "Well done."

Alice grinned back. "Thanks, sir." She was halfway out of the room before she realised something. "Erm, Professor?" she asked, sticking her head back round the door. Dumbledore paused from slitting open the envelope to glance at her.

"Don't you – I mean, wouldn't it have already happened? Me going back in time and everything – you must remember it happening. You must have known that I would come back to get the weapon, because – you know – it already happened." It was one of those moments where Alice knew what she wanted to say, but when she tried to express herself, the words came out all gabbled. Dumbledore seemed to know what she meant, though, because his eyes were twinkling over the tops of his glasses.

"Time travel is a tricky thing, Miss Tyler. You would be wise not to mention this to Miss Evans, or anyone else."

"Yes, sir," Alice replied, feeling slightly confused, and left the office.

On her way to Transfiguration, Alice let her mind wander. Everything that had just happened already felt incredibly surreal, as if it was all just a dream. Her mind shifted back to the encounter with Tom, and she shuddered at the memory. That definitely hadn't been a dream. Even in her worst nightmares she had never felt anything as cold and evil as the waves that rolled off him. Alice was so lost in her thoughts that she walked straight into someone with a smack.

_You know, it would be nice for a change to be able to walk down a corridor without bumping into someone. _With an inward groan, Alice saw that it was bloody Lucius Malfoy. _What a day this is turning out to be._

"Sorry," Alice muttered, making a move to walk around him. Instantly he stepped in front of her, blocking her way. Alice turned the other way, but he moved in front of her again. Irked, Alice glared up at him. "Did you want something?" she asked snippily.

"A date to the ball."

Alice blinked. Had she heard that right? Maybe her head was so muddled with thoughts that she had heard him wrong. "What?"

He looked slightly annoyed. "Go with me to the ball."

It was more of a command than a question. He said it as if no wasn't an option, and he assumed that she didn't already have a date. Alice didn't like his arrogance, and she was about to tell him that, but something made her stop. Well, she didn't have a date, did she? And if nobody else asked her, which was likely, she wouldn't be able to go at all. Well, she could, but it would look incredibly sad, going alone.

What did one do when they were put on the spot like this? Alice opened her mouth and said the one thing that she could think of in this situation: "OK then."

He seemed pleased. "Good. I'll meet you outside the Great Hall at seven." He gave her a cool nod before brushing past her and heading down the corridor.

Alice stood there for a long moment, hardly believing what had just happened. Had she really just agreed to go to the ball with _Lucius Malfoy_? What the bloody heck had she been thinking?

Realising that she needed to get to Transfiguration, Alice started off in the direction of the classroom. _Well, you could say one thing about life at Hogwarts_, she thought glumly, _at least it's never dull._

**A/N: Next chapter – the ball!**


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Yes, it's been a while, I know, but here it is: the much awaited ball. Thanks to everyone who reviewed – feedback is appreciated! Oh, and yes, none of this is mine, it is JKR's. Thanks!

"Miss Tyler and Miss Evans, for the third time, _please pay attention_!"

Alice looked up guiltily from the scribbled note she was reading. She and Lily had been throwing pieces of paper back and forth to each other throughout the lesson. Normally Alice wouldn't do anything that might make McGonagall angry, but she was feeling quite bad for her best friend. The ball was in three days and still James had shown no sign that he was going to ask Lily. Alice didn't know exactly what he was thinking, but he was cutting it a bit fine. If he didn't ask her until a couple of days before the ball, it would seem like he assumed she'd be waiting around for him. Not that she was, Lily had assured Alice. She just thought that since they'd been getting along so well recently, he might want to ask her.

"Sorry, Professor," she and Lily recited dutifully. Alice bent her head over her desk, trying to concentrate on her work. As it was, she couldn't. She was too preoccupied thinking about the bloody ball.

_The one thing I made up my mind not to get obsessed about, _Alice sighed, _and now I can't get it out of my head._

Of course, thinking about the ball certainly took her mind off other things – her uncle, Tom Riddle, and whether they actually had a chance in bloody hell with a weapon that fit into an envelope. Alice firmly pushed this thought away from her mind before she let her imagination run away with her. Dumbledore obviously knew what he was doing, and it wasn't really any of her business. She knew he wouldn't tell her, so she may as well just stop musing over it. _After all, curiosity killed the cat… or something. _Unintentionally, her mind wandered back to the upcoming ball.

It had actually been a whole less complicated when she had planned not to go at all. Now she had a date – with a _Malfoy_, of all people – Holly had a date (she had come into the library squealing that Remus had asked her a couple of days ago, earning herself a glare from Madam Pince), even _Belinda_ had a date – with a Hufflepuff boy who had asked her yesterday. She had, she informed Alice, forgotten all about Sirius – in fact, she couldn't even remember his name any more. Alice had nodded with a smirk and gone back to reading her book.

Now, in the present time, Holly was sitting across the classroom with her hand on her chin, lost in some daydream or other, and Lily was glancing behind her, looking slightly put out. Alice swivelled around in her seat to see James sniggering with Sirius about something, and not paying the slightest bit of attention to Lily. Alice made up her mind to talk to him after the lesson to see what he was bloody well waiting for.

Alice turned back around and almost fell backwards off her seat. McGonagall was standing about two inches away, glaring pointedly at her.

"Detention tomorrow night, Miss Tyler," McGonagall said crisply. "And twenty points from Ravenclaw. I've given you more than enough chances. I suggest that if you want to stay in this lesson, then it would be wise to start _paying attention. _Do you understand?"

Alice nodded so fast that she felt as if her head were about to fall off. McGonagall gave her one last cold look before sweeping back to the front of the classroom.

Lily was sending her sympathetic looks, but Alice didn't care. Detention! In her entire six and a half years at Hogwarts she hadn't gotten detention _once. _Now there would be a mark on her unblemished record!

Alice let her head fall onto the desk. _Stupid bloody ball._

An almighty crash from behind her sent her head snapping back up again. Turning around, she saw that everyone was craning their necks to see what had happened. Suzanne Moore, red-faced and with tears in her eyes, was sitting a few inches away from what appeared to be an overturned chair, except for the fact that its legs were missing. Sirius, sitting a couple of seats away, had his wand out and James was shaking with laughter. Alice took in the situation in an instant.

"_Mr. _Black!" McGonagall said, nostrils flaring. "How dare you interrupt my lesson this way!"

"It was an accident!" Sirius protested. Alice and Lily looked at one another and rolled their eyes. _Yeah, as if anyone would believe that._

"Twenty points from Gryffindor, Mr. Black," McGonagall snapped. "And you will join Alice in detention tomorrow night."

"What?" Alice spun around in horror.

"Is that a problem, Miss Tyler?" McGonagall asked, glaring at her.

"No, Professor," Alice muttered. _Oh, this day is shaping up to be bloody fantastic._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, that went well," Lily said in a falsely bright voice after the lesson was over.

"Ugh," Alice moaned by way of reply.

"It's not that bad," Lily tried reassuring her.

"Ugh," Alice repeated. At this moment in time, she was incapable of forming complete sentences.

"Well, at least she didn't make you miss the ball!" Lily said cheerily.

"Ugh." _Yes, God forbid I miss the ball._

"Well, the way things are going, it looks like _I'll _be the one who won't get to go," Lily said with a sigh.

"Ugh," Alice said automatically, before registering what Lily had just said. "Oh, Lily – I'm sure he's just waiting for the right moment to ask you."

"Oh, I didn't mean I want _James _to ask me," Lily said quickly. "You know, it would be nice if – _somebody_ – did. Nobody at all has asked me yet."

"They will," Alice replied confidently, as she and Lily reached the Great Hall. "You're gorgeous, Lily, and you're a great person. I mean, what guy in his right mind could resist you?"

"How about every single guy in school?" Lily asked wryly. "Or that's the way it seems, anyway." Just as they were about to enter the Great Hall, Lily frowned. "Damn – I've left my quill in the classroom. I'll meet you back here in a minute."

"No problem," Alice said absently, spotting James standing a couple of metres away and deciding to go over and talk to him. She waited until Lily had rounded the corner and then marched over to James.

"What exactly are you doing?" Alice demanded, hands on hips.

James frowned. "Going to have dinner?"

"_Not_ that," Alice stressed. "With Lily, I mean."

"What are you talking about?" James asked incredulously. "I'm not doing anything with Lily, much to my regret."

"Guess I'm going to have to spell it out for you," Alice sighed. "Why haven't you asked Lily to the ball yet?"

"Oh, that," James said with a smirk. "That's all part of my grand plan."

"You have a grand plan?" Alice raised her eyebrows.

"I'm playing hard to get," James explained. "The more I ignore her, the more she'll want me. Then I'll ask her at the last minute."

"Oh, of course," Alice said sarcastically. "After all those times she's told you to leave her alone and how much she's sick of you harassing her, added onto the fact that she's upset because she doesn't have a date for the ball yet and it'll make you look a complete git if you wait until the last minute to ask her… it's genius. I don't know why I didn't think of that in the first place."

"Hey, who are you going with, anyway?" James asked curiously.

"That's not important right now," Alice said hurriedly. She definitely didn't want to see James' reaction when he heard she was going with a Malfoy. "The issue here is that your plan is stupid!"

"Hey, you can say whatever you want – I know it's working," James said confidently.

Alice spied Lily coming back round the corner. "Fine," she replied, shaking her head and waving. James turned to see who she was waving at and jumped like he'd been hit from behind with a jinx.

Lily gave a sort of frown when she saw who Alice was standing with and made a gesture for Alice to come over. "Yep, that's one good plan, James," Alice commented as she started making her way over to Lily. Before she could get there, though, somebody beat her to it.

Alice frowned. A boy she didn't know the name of, but who she vaguely recognised as a Hufflepuff in their year, was talking to Lily. Quite loudly, actually. Alice found she didn't even have to strain her ears to hear the conversation.

"Lily?" the boy asked nervously.

"Yes?" Lily frowned.

"I'm David Madley," he added.

"OK… well, hi," Lily said with a brief smile.

"I realise I've waited a bit too long to ask you, and you've probably already got a date, but… would you like to go to the ball with me?" David asked in a rush.

"Oh!" Lily said, sounding surprised. "Erm, well…" she glanced over Alice's shoulder and Alice wondered how she could turn around too without looking too obvious.

"OK then. I mean, yes, I'd like to go to the ball with you," Lily said, flashing David a smile.

"Really?" David's face broke into a grin.

"Absolutely." Lily hitched her bag onto her shoulder. "I'll meet you outside the Great Hall at seven."

"OK, great!" David seemed slightly dazed, as if he wasn't sure what had just happened.

"See you then," Lily beamed, and practically skipped over to Alice. "Let's get some dinner, I'm starving," she said, ignoring James completely.

Alice turned to look at James' face. His expression was one of pure rage, and was directed at David Madley's back as he wandered off down the corridor.

Alice sighed. "Well, that worked out fantastically, didn't it?" she whispered to James as she and Lily walked past. As Lily pushed open the double doors, Alice shook her head. "_Boys_."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Which robes do you think I should wear?" Holly bounded over to Alice, who was lounging on Lily's bed. "The blue or the pink?"

Alice studied the two sets of robes Holly was holding up. They looked exactly the same to her, just in different colours. "I don't know," she said with a frown. "Whichever ones you like best, I guess. I'm not so good at this fashion stuff."

"The blue," Lily said without hesitation, before Alice had even finished speaking. "They'll bring out your eyes so much better than the pink ones will."

"Thanks," Holly replied gratefully, bouncing back over to her chest of drawers.

"How should I wear my hair?" Lily fretted, tugging at a strand of her auburn tresses. "It just looks so blah – I want it to look special on the night."

"You've got great hair, Lily, and it'll look fab however you decide to wear it," Alice said lazily. "I'm the one with the boring, crappy hair."

"Yes, but there are ways you can make it look great," Holly said enthusiastically.

"Thanks," Alice said with a mock-hurt look. "So you think I've got crap hair?"

"Oh, no – I didn't mean –" Holly protested, beginning to turn red. Obviously she thought that Alice had taken what she had said to heart.

"Holly, I'm kidding," Alice said with a friendly grin, which was soon wiped off her face when she checked her watch. Sighing, she pushed herself up onto her elbows and swung her legs off the bed. "You guys keep talking Christmas ball. I've got to go."

"Where?" Lily frowned, smoothing out a crease in one of a million sets of dress robes that were currently strewn over Holly's bed.

"To meet my doom," Alice said dramatically, heading for the door. She noticed her friends' confused expressions and raised her eyebrows. "Detention, remember? Yesterday, Transfiguration, McGonagall practically having a heart attack in the classroom?"

"Oh, yeah," Lily said, her face clearing. "Well, have fun!" She hastily scooted backwards as Alice sent her a death glare before disappearing out the door.

Alice walked to the classroom with a growing feeling of dread mounting in her stomach. McGonagall was an excellent teacher, but she was very strict, and when she was angry… Alice didn't know what she was going to have to do, but she was sure it would involve hard work.

McGonagall was marking some papers and didn't notice Alice come in. "Erm… Professor?" Alice asked nervously.

McGonagall looked up with a grim face. "Ah, Miss Tyler. Did you by any chance see Mr Black on your way here?"

Alice shook her head. _Thank God. The less I see of him the better._

McGonagall sighed. "That boy is so irresponsible…" she started scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment on her desk.

Alice frowned. McGonagall seemed in a very bad mood, much more so than usual. Surely it couldn't be just because of her and Sirius' behaviour during the lesson? It hardly warranted this sort of anger.

"Professor… is something wrong?" Alice asked timidly.

"Everything's fine, Miss Tyler," McGonagall said crisply, head still bent in a manner that suggested that everything was _not _fine. "The trophies in the trophy room need a good cleaning. I suggest you get started right away, or you'll be here until the morning."

"Yes, Professor," Alice said dully, turning and exiting the classroom. _Cleaning the trophies. Doesn't that sound fantastic? _She didn't notice Sirius until she almost walked straight into him.

Alice jumped backwards, clutching her chest. "What are you trying to do, give me a bloody heart attack?"

Sirius shrugged. "You were the one not looking where you were going."

Too tired to start an argument, Alice just sighed. "Well, you'd better hurry up. McGonagall's really pissed off."

Sirius rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "It's just her way of hiding how much she loves me."

"OK, whatever." Alice began to walk away, but heard Sirius speaking behind her.

"Are you really going to the ball with Lucius Malfoy?"

Alice stopped in her tracks. Spinning around, she gave him a hard look. "Who told you that?"

"Peter said he'd heard it from some Slytherins."

"How?" Alice frowned.

"Dunno, must have overheard them talking." Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Is it true?"

"Is it any of your business?" Alice said snippily, turning to leave again.

"So it _is_ true!" Something about the incredulous way he said it annoyed Alice, and she whirled back around.

"Yes, it is true!" she said in exasperation. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because he's a bloody Slytherin, that's why," Sirius snapped. Alice was slightly taken aback. "Do you know how pissed off James is going to be when he hears about this?"

"Well then, it's a good thing James isn't in charge of everything I do," Alice said shortly, and began to walk off.

"You're going to regret it, I'm telling you," Sirius called after her.

"Screw you," Alice shot back. _Oh, well done. That was witty._

Later on, scrubbing the bedpans, Alice couldn't believe the nerve of him. _Why the hell does everyone think they have the right to tell me what to do with my life? And how does he know that I'll regret it, anyway? Just because he's a Slytherin? _But she couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that maybe, just maybe, he was right.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Oh my God, you look fantastic!"

Alice, lying on her bed on her stomach and flipping through a magazine that she had stolen from Suzanne's drawer, looked up briefly to see what Jennifer was squealing about. Belinda had just stepped out of the bathroom, wearing dress robes of pale pink silk, and her hair was done up in such a high, complicated style that Alice wondered how the hell it actually stayed up.

"Thanks," Belinda smiled regally. Alice shook her head and returned to her magazine. She would never normally read something as superficial as the gossip magazine that was open in front of her, but she had found herself feeling quite jittery and unable to concentrate on a book. She had settled for idly flipping through the pages, with what she hoped was a nonchalant air.

"Alice, why aren't you dressed yet?" Belinda asked disapprovingly.

"Belinda, the ball doesn't start for another hour," Alice replied, turning the page.

"Exactly!" Belinda sounded so horrified that Alice wasn't sure she'd heard her right. Rolling over, Alice faced Belinda, whose eyebrows were raised so high that they almost met her perfectly coiffed hairline.

"All I've got to do is get dressed," Alice pointed out. "That's going to take five minutes, max!"

"Yes, but there's your hair, and your make-up!" Belinda sat down on the bed, nudging Alice's legs out of the way. "You know how long that stuff takes, right?"

_No. _Generally Alice just stuck her hair back in a ponytail, or on special occasions, brushed it and left it loose. As for make-up, well, she had only worn it once in her entire life, for Lily's sixteenth birthday party, and that had been a disaster. She had forgotten it was there and a couple of hours' worth of rubbing her eyes and face had resulted in smeared lip-gloss, clown blusher, and eye make up that was so smudged she looked as if she had been through fifty rounds in one of those boxing rings she had seen on Muggle television at Lily's. _Never again. _

Belinda must have noticed the expression on Alice's face, because she heaved a long-suffering sigh. "Look, just let me take care of it, OK?"

Alice jumped up, sending the magazine scattering to the floor. "Erm, no thanks, Belinda," she said, backing away hastily. "I'll just –" Before she could exit the room, however, Belinda had performed the Leg-Locker curse on her almost lazily.

"Hey!" Alice protested, almost falling to the floor and gripping the doorframe to keep her balance. "That's so unfair!"

"Alice, you are going on a date with a _Malfoy_," Belinda stressed, summoning a bag filled with make-up products into her hand. Alice struggled even harder to move her feet, to no avail. "You have to look halfway decent."

"Oh, thanks," Alice said sarcastically. "First Holly commenting on my hair, now you. Am I really that repulsive?"

"Shush," Belinda scolded, and, much to her surprise, Alice shut up. Belinda clicked her fingers at Jen and Suzanne, who scurried over like the obedient little lap dogs they were. _Maybe this won't be so bad,_ Alice thought hopefully, knowing it was useless to argue any more – Belinda was like a steamroller once she got going.

An hour later, after way, WAY too much primping, Alice stood in front of the mirror, unsure what to think. The dress robes she was wearing had been hand-picked by Lily, and Alice didn't think she had ever worn anything so girly in her life. They were quite simple, made of satin, and a shimmery pale lavender colour that Alice had to admit was rather nice. Belinda had performed a charm that had turned her hair into soft ringlets, most of which she had left loose, save for a couple of bits at the front that she had pulled back and pinned behind her head.

The only really bad thing, Alice thought, was the make-up. It emphasised her features, but it all the wrong ways. She looked like a prostitute in training.

"Well?" Belinda asked, mascara brush held aloft in triumph.

"It's a bit, erm, _much_," Alice said, putting heavy emphasis on the word much.

"You look great," Belinda reassured her. "Look, we've got to go, or we're going to be late."

"I'll be there in a minute," Alice said, frowning into the mirror. "You guys go ahead."

Belinda shrugged. "Fine. Come on, you two." She, Suzanne and Jen left, trailing an invisible cloud of very strong perfume behind them.

Alice studied her reflection in the mirror again. "Hmm," she muttered to herself, taking out her wand. _Maybe if I just made an adjustment there… and got rid of some of that bloody eye shadow… there! _A couple of charms performed, Alice stepped back and smiled at herself. The make-up was a lot less heavy now and – dare she say it – she actually looked halfway decent.

Alice checked the time. Seven-oh-five. Ah, well. She was just going to be – what was it they called it? – fashionably late. With a hint of a grin, Alice practically skipped out of the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I need to talk to you!"

"Bloody hell!" Alice felt somebody yank her by the arm as she made her way through the swarm of students congregating outside the hall. She almost tripped over the hem of her dress and staggered into somebody, knocking half her hair off-balance in the process. "Graceful as ever," Alice muttered, fixing it with a quick flick of her wand and turning to see who had grabbed her so violently.

It was James, and he did not look happy.

"What?" Alice asked, annoyed.

"What the hell _is _this?" he practically exploded.

"What the hell is what?"

"You," James spat, "at the ball with a sodding _Malfoy_."

Alice sighed. "Really, James, you need to grow up. I can go to a ball with whomever I want. And so could you, if," she added pointedly, "you'd actually asked her well in advance!"

"That's an entirely different situation," James snapped. "Lily's not a scumbag Slytherin."

"Ever heard the phrase, 'judging people before you get to know them'?" Alice asked, eyebrows raised.

"Ha!" James laughed bitterly. "I know what he's like, thank you very much. He's a fucking inbred with no sense of moral –" his words were cut off as he noticed something over Alice's shoulder. Alice spun around to see Lily, looking gorgeous and slightly nervous in emerald-green robes. Alice took the opportunity to sidle away and over to her best friend. "Lily, you look fab!" she said in Lily's left ear, making her jump slightly.

"Oh, Alice!" Lily relaxed slightly. Then her eyes widened. "_Alice_!"

"Yeah…" Alice frowned, looking down at herself. "What's up? I haven't got anything on my robes, have I?"

"No, it's just – wow, you look fantastic!" Lily said approvingly. "I love what you've done with your hair!"

"Yeah, thanks," Alice replied, distractedly. She couldn't see Malfoy anywhere, and come to think of it, Holly was nowhere to be seen either.

"Lily?"

David Madley sidled up to the girls, smiling nervously at Lily. "Oh, hi, David!" Lily beamed.

"You look – erm – great," David said, with a slight blush.

"Thanks," Lily replied with a hint of self-consciousness. "So do you!"

There was an awkward silence, during which Alice decided she had never felt so much like a gooseberry in her life. She was just about to make an excuse and leave, but David spoke first.

"So, are you ready?" he smiled, holding out his arm to Lily.

"Sure." Lily glanced at Alice slightly worriedly. "Will you be OK?"

"'Course," Alice assured her. "You guys go on, and have a great time!"

"OK. I'll catch up with you later," Lily told her, hooking her arm through David's and floating away, shooting Alice a nervous but excited glance.

Out of the corner of her eye, Alice could see James sending death glares in David and Lily's direction. Standing next to him, vainly trying to get his attention, was a blonde girl who Alice recognised as a Hufflepuff in sixth year – his date for the evening, she presumed. _Poor girl._

Making up her mind to go and wait by the door, Alice began weaving her way through the diminishing crowd. Most people were making their way into the Great Hall by now, and Alice was quite relieved when she saw Malfoy standing by the doors already.

He didn't look too bad actually, Alice reflected. His blond hair was slicked back and he was wearing robes of a dark blue colour, which didn't clash too horribly with her own, Alice noted. He didn't speak when he saw her, just raised an eyebrow and held out his arm for her to take.

_Well, that's flattering. _Not in the mood to gripe about things now, though, she just gave a rather weak smile, took his arm and allowed herself to be led into the Great Hall. On their way, they passed David and Lily, who winked surreptitiously at Alice as she poured some punch out for herself, and James, who was alternating between glaring at David and Malfoy, paying his date absolutely no attention.

As always, the Great Hall was decorated stunningly. Wreaths of mistletoe and garlands of tree branches sprayed with some sort of magical paint to make them shimmer were arranged everywhere; the enchanted ceiling was emitting softly-falling flakes of snow, which disappeared just before they reached anyone's head, and a huge Hogwarts flag was hanging proudly from the far wall, bearing the emblems of each of the four Houses. The tables had been pushed back against the walls to make room for students to dance, and these were now lined with plates of food and bowls of punch.

"This is – nice, isn't it?" Alice asked, at a rather pathetic attempt at making conversation. Malfoy didn't reply, just made a gesture with his head towards the dance floor, where students were already gathered.

Alice shrugged. "OK then." Dancing was actually one thing she didn't mind doing. There weren't a lot of opportunities to talk, but that was OK – she didn't really know what to talk to a Malfoy about. The Dark Arts? Quidditch? Hair care products?

Malfoy had obviously had professional dance lessons, Alice noted as they slowly spun around the dance floor. He was much more elegant and graceful than she was, and she began to feel a bit awkward. _Well, guess that all comes from being one of the most respected families in the wizarding world. _Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remus and Holly sweep past. Holly beamed at her as they spun away to the other side of the floor – a sort of, "oh my God, I can't believe I'm here with him" sort of smile, and Alice felt happy for her friend. She and Remus made a cute couple, and Holly obviously loved his company. _Wish I could say the same about my date._

The song ended, and Alice was actually slightly relieved. "Do you mind if I just go and get a drink?" she asked, with the intention of finding Lily.

"I'll get them," Malfoy said with a smirk. _Can't that boy ever say anything without a smirk on his face? _Alice noticed a group of Slytherins crowded around the drinks table, and she guessed that Malfoy probably wanted to go and speak to them. Alice smiled briefly and headed in the opposite direction, where she had seen a glimpse of red hair.

Lily was standing with her back turned to Alice, and spun around when she tapped her on the shoulder, a beaming smile on her face. "Oh – I thought you were David," she said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Thanks!"

"Oh, you know I didn't mean that," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"I take it things are going well," Alice grinned.

"You know what? They really are," Lily said, sounding blissful. "He's just so nice and sweet and _humble _– so different from –" Here she bit her lip and looked at Alice.

"You can say it, you know," Alice teased. "So different from James."

Lily sighed. "It's just that – I know where I stand with David," she said, choosing her words carefully. "James has spent six years being an arrogant tool, asking me out on a daily basis, and then – all of a sudden, he changes this year – and I find myself beginning to get on with him better. Then all of a sudden he starts ignoring me – just when I was sort of hoping he might ask me to the ball – but he doesn't even mention it! Then, out of the blue, I get asked by somebody else – David – and I wasn't going to accept at first, but then I thought, why not? James doesn't own me, and why should I wait around for him when there are other perfectly nice guys out there?"

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Big speech, Lily. So, where is the Boy Wonder?"

"He's gone to get drinks," Lily said absent-mindedly.

"So has Malfoy," Alice said moodily.

Lily's eyes lit up. "Yes, how are things going with the Slytherin Prince?" she asked mischievously.

"Pretty crap, if you must know," Alice said bluntly. "I don't know what to talk to him about. We don't really have much in common, you know? I wish I hadn't bothered coming, to be honest."

Before Lily could answer, Malfoy suddenly appeared at Alice's side, and handed her a drink. "Ready?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Lily. Lily ignored him. "See you later, Al," she said, before walking away.

The rest of the evening consisted pretty much of dancing, eating, drinking, and more dancing. Alice had to admit it – she was bored stiff. Malfoy obviously wasn't a talkative person, and the only time Alice actually had any fun was when she took a break to catch up with Lily. She saw Holly a couple of times, too, who was, she informed them, having a great time.

When the crowd began to thin, and the other students began to look tired instead of excited, Alice decided that it was time she called it a night. "I think I'm… y'know… going to get going," she said awkwardly, faking a yawn. "I'm pretty tired."

Malfoy's expression didn't change. "I'll walk you back to your common room."

_Ugh… will it never end? _Alice tried to look grateful, though, and resisted the urge to pull away when he put his arm around her shoulders. They passed Lily and David on the way out, and Alice shot Lily a grimace. Lily gave her a sympathetic look over her goblet of pumpkin juice.

Most of the corridors were deserted, save for a few students, giggling, arm-in-arm. Alice walked silently, thinking that trying to make conversation was pretty pointless right about now. The walk back to the common room seemed to take forever, and when they reached the suits of armour, Alice turned to face Malfoy with a weak smile. "Erm… thanks a lot, this was great," she tried to say brightly, all the while thinking, _never again. _Before she could turn around to go in, however, she found herself pushed up against the wall by Malfoy.

"What –" she began to say furiously, but she never managed to complete the sentence, because Malfoy's mouth came down over hers.

_Ughhh… _his kiss was sloppy, and all Alice could think of was how much her mouth felt like it was being attacked by a _hoover._ She tried to push him away, but he had her pinned to the wall in an iron grip; Alice desperately tried to yank her head backwards, but she only succeeding in smashing her skull against the wall before he continued an even more vigorous attack on her mouth. Her head throbbing, Alice managed to twist around and brought her knee up as forcefully as she could. It worked; she connected with his crotch, and he let go of her immediately, cursing. Alice frantically searched through the layers of her dress until she located her wand; she whipped it out and aimed it straight at Malfoy, whose face was still twisted in pain.

"Do that again and I'll hex your balls off," Alice snapped, breathing heavily.

Through his wincing, Malfoy managed to speak. "You'll pay for this, Tyler," he spat, his face filled with loathing. "This isn't over, believe me." Sending her a look of pure hatred, he turned away and tried to walk away with as much dignity as possible, despite the fact that he was still slightly bent over.

Alice stood there for a second, hardly believing his nerve. "Cocky, arrogant bastard," she muttered to herself, turning to enter the common room. As she did, she couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of worry, though. He had told her that it wasn't over… and Alice couldn't help but believe that that was true.

A/N: Sorry about the delay in chapter updates – I've been going through a rough time lately and haven't been writing as regularly, but I've started up again now. The next chapter's all written and ready to go, and includes a strange trip to Hogsmeade, the aftermath of the ball, and Alice in a VERY compromising situation…


	10. Chapter 10

Well, this took a while, I know. Not meaning to sound like I'm making excuses, but real life has been getting in the way of my fanfiction. I'm back in the mix now, though, and working on the next chapter, as well as some new stuff. Anyway, thanks for the previous reviews, and hope you all enjoy!

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"So, all in all, it was pretty much a bust."

It was the morning after the ball. Alice, Lily and Holly were eating breakfast in the Great Hall, and Alice had just finished relaying the details of her disastrous date to her friends.

"Sounds like it was… not fun," Lily said eloquently, tapping her fingers against her goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Yeah, and what did he mean when he told you that you would pay?" Holly said, sounding worried. "I mean, do you think he was seriously threatening you?"

"Probably not. I mean, what can he really do?" Alice said, idly pulling her toast in half and sounding a lot breezier than she felt. "Except maybe send me death glares once in a while –" she glanced over to the Slytherin table – "which I can see he's doing now. What a pleasant guy."

Holly turned to look, then spun back around again with a frown. "I don't know, Alice. I mean, there's been no proof, but there are loads of rumours about the Malfoy family's involvement with the Dark Arts."

"He was probably just embarrassed," Lily said in an obvious attempt to reassure Alice. "I mean, a kick in the balls had to have dented his Malfoy pride for a moment there. He'll get over it."

"I know." Alice shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not worried."

_Liar, _taunted a voice in the back of her head. Despite what she had said, Alice still couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear as she saw Malfoy's cold eyes on her. Holly was right; his family _was _involved with the Dark Arts – she didn't know just how deep, but she had heard enough from her parents to know that it was true. They surely couldn't… be involved with Voldemort, could they? Alice tried to push the thought away, but it was overshadowing her mind. They could do something to hurt her – or her friends – or her family.

_No, _she told herself firmly. He wouldn't be that stupid, to deliberately hurt someone and let everyone know about his family's involvement with the Dark Arts. _Just don't think about it. He won't do anything._

Just another thing to add onto her list of worries, along with Voldemort, her uncle, and this so-called weapon, which Alice was really beginning to doubt. How could anything that could fit into an envelope be of any use? Unless it was a wand, of course, but Alice didn't really see how a wand could be their best chance of defeating Voldemort.

"You're not eating much," Lily pointed out. Alice looked down at her plate of shredded toast.

"Not hungry." Alice could sense Lily and Holly exchanging glances over her head, but didn't comment.

"So, it's Hogsmeade today," Holly said brightly, veering off in another conversational direction. "Shall we go? I haven't exactly finished my Christmas shopping yet, so…"

"Holly, it's Christmas Eve tomorrow," Lily pointed out. "You still haven't finished your shopping?"

Holly shrugged. "I've been busy… with other things," she said, blushing fiercely.

Lily grinned. "Other things, meaning Remus?"

Holly smiled shyly. "Maybe."

"How are things going with you two?" Lily asked, resting her chin on her hand.

"Pretty great, actually," Holly said, toying with her plate of scrambled eggs. "He's so sweet, and we get along so well." Alice and Lily waited for her to continue, but it seemed that she didn't want to say anything else, so they didn't press it.

"So, unanimous vote for going into Hogsmeade?" Lily said, raising a hand. Holly lifted hers and they both looked expectantly at Alice.

"Sure," Alice shrugged, pushing her plate away. "Shopping can be very therapeutic."

"Amen," Lily said fervently, and Alice couldn't help but laugh along with Holly.

"OK, so I'm going to get my money," Holly said, swinging her legs over the bench and standing up. "I'll meet you two in the Entrance Hall in about ten minutes?"

Alice and Lily nodded, getting up too. Alice caught Lucius Malfoy's eye across the hall and she could see him staring coldly at her, eyes narrowed. Alice looked away staunchly, arranging her features into a look of absolute nonchalance, but her heart was hammering against her ribs. The look he was giving her – it wasn't just contempt, like the eyebrow-raised one he reserved for Muggle-borns, but one of pure, underlying hate – and it scared Alice.

As the girls left the Great Hall, Alice breathed a sigh of relief. Here she could relax a bit more, without having the nasty feeling of being watched all the time. Wanting to keep her mind on something else, she brought up a new subject. "Sorry, Lily – I've told you everything about my horrible date, and I haven't even asked you about yours yet! How did it go?"

"It was… nice," Lily shrugged. "You know, I really didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. David's quiet, but he's got a great sense of humour, and we have a lot in common. And he's so considerate, too – all night he was constantly asking me if I was OK, or if I wanted anything. It's nice to finally meet a guy who cares about me for a change, and not just himself."

Alice raised her eyebrows slightly at the obvious barbed comment, but didn't say anything. She had to admit, when she had started the whole matchmaking thing, she had done it purely to help out James. But over the past couple of months, she had found herself actually rooting for Lily and James to finally get together, and when it hadn't happened, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. But if Lily was happy, then there wasn't anything she could do.

"Speak of the devil…" Alice muttered, seeing David approaching them. Lily's face immediately broke out into a smile.

"Hi, Lily," David said, in a sort of embarrassed voice. Alice rolled her eyes. David was a nice enough guy, but his awkwardness was beginning to grate on her nerves. Lily obviously didn't mind it, though, from the way she was smiling.

"Hi, David," Lily said warmly. "Thanks for taking me to the ball last night – I had a really nice time."

"Oh, no problem," David said with a blush. "Listen, Lily… I was wondering if you were going to Hogsmeade today?"

"Oh –" Lily looked at Alice. "Well, I was, but I was supposed to be going with my friends –"

"It's cool," Alice chimed in. "You two go together, it's no problem."

"Are you sure?" Lily searched Alice's face anxiously. Alice rolled her eyes with a grin.

"Yes, I'm sure! Holly and I can go, and then we could maybe meet you guys later on in the Three Broomsticks. Don't worry about it!"

"Well… OK," Lily said, giving Alice a quick hug. "You're a great friend, you know that?"

"Yes, I do," Alice said smugly. "Remember that the next time I want a favour!" Lily laughed as she strolled away with David.

Across the hall, Alice could see that she wasn't the only one watching Lily and David walk away; James' eyes were following them too, a look of fury on his face.

Alice wandered over to him. "Getting jealous?" she teased.

"What does she see in him?" James said bitterly by way of reply.

"Well, he's nice, he's kind, he's humble, he treats her well…" Alice said, ticking the points off on her fingers. "Oh, and he's good-looking. Do you want me to go on?"

"Do you think he's good-looking?" James asked, turning to her with a disgusted expression.

"I guess," Alice shrugged. "I mean, if the like the tall, dark and silent type, anyway. He's not really my –" but James interrupted before she could finish.

"He's so dull," James continued, glaring at David's back as he and Lily disappeared out of the doors – hand-in-hand, Alice noticed. "Why do girls like that broody type, anyway? Alice, have you ever heard him speak before he asked Lily out?"

"Well… no," Alice admitted. "But that doesn't mean he's boring, James. He might just be shy. You've never even spoken to him before, so how do you know what he's like?"

"I know that he's all wrong for Lily," James said, folding his arms.

"Ah, a classic case of the green-eyed monster," Alice sighed. "One of the worst diseases known to the teenage wizard."

"Jealous? Of him? You've got to be joking," James sniggered.

"You're not jealous of _him_," Alice said, rolling her eyes. "You're jealous that he's going out with Lily."

"Are you going to Hogsmeade?" James asked, abruptly switching topics.

Alice glanced at her watch. "Yes, as soon as Holly gets here. Are you?"

"Well, I wasn't going to," James said, a sour expression on his face, "but I think I will now, just to keep an eye on them… make sure he doesn't try anything funny…"

"Oh, and that's going to make Lily fall head over heels for you," Alice said sarcastically. "First you don't ask her to the ball, then you start stalking her. Way to go, James."

"Well, what do you think I should do, then?" James turned to her.

"Nothing!" Alice stressed. "You're not Lily's babysitter, James. If David isn't the right guy for her, she'll realize it in her own time and break up with him. If she likes him, though… you've got to just leave her alone. Don't you want her to be happy?"

"I guess so," James muttered sullenly.

Alice spotted Holly waving her over. "I've got to go. Now, don't do anything stupid, OK?"

"Don't worry, I won't," James said with a grin, but Alice noticed a little gleam of mischief in his eyes as she dashed over to her friend.

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Assorted gifts and many, many shops later, Alice and Holly stood outside Honeydukes, laden down with bags. Alice was munching a Chocolate Frog, having decided that she deserved a bit of chocolate after the marathon shopping session she had just embarked on.

"So, where do you want to go now?" Alice asked, shivering as she pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. It wasn't snowing any more, but a thin layer of frost glittered across the ground and the wind was bitterly cold.

Holly's teeth were chattering. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a Butterbeer. Shall we go to the Three Broomsticks?"

Alice nodded gratefully. "Lily and David might be in there; I said we'd catch up with them later."

When the two girls entered, Alice saw that she was right; Lily and David _were _in there – and at a table nearby, so were James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. James was glowering in Lily and David's direction, but Lily was staunchly refusing to look at him.

Alice groaned. "I _told _him to leave them alone," she said, turning to Holly in exasperation. Holly didn't seem to have heard her, though – she had caught Remus' eye and was blushing madly.

Alice sighed. "You can go over there, if you want – I don't mind."

"Oh, no, not while the rest of them are there," Holly said quickly. "I don't mind it when it's just me and Remus, but I don't really want any teasing from his friends. No offence," she added hastily.

"None taken," Alice shrugged. "Believe me, I know better than anyone what James is like. Look, Lily's waving us over."

The two girls wove their way through the crowded pub and seated themselves at Lily and David's table.

"I can see you two have had a productive day," Lily joked, nodding towards the mountain of carrier bags that Alice and Holly had plunked down on the table.

"Shopping is an art, and should not be sneered at," Alice replied haughtily, taking off Belinda's voice to a T. Lily laughed outright at that.

"Well, I got all of my presents for everyone, anyway," Holly said brightly, pushing some bags aside to make room for their drinks. "Anyone want a Butterbeer?"

"I'll go and get them," Alice said, jumping to her feet and heading towards the bar. On returning to the table, though, she found that Remus had taken her empty seat.

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Any room for a fifth wheel?" she kidded, as she set the drinks down on the table.

Remus looked embarrassed. "Sorry, Alice." He jumped to his feet. "I'll get another seat."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Remus, sit down," Alice sighed, pulling up another chair. "I was joking." _Well, half-joking, anyway.  
_

There was silence as everyone sipped their drinks. Wedged in between Lily and Holly, Alice began to feel more and more like an intruder on a double date.

"So… did everyone have fun at the ball?" Remus asked awkwardly. Alice groaned inwardly. _Oh, please, not another bloody excuse to talk about that…_

Lily, David and Holly nodded, Holly blushing as she did so.

"You went with Malfoy, didn't you, Alice?" Remus attempted conversation again.

"Yes," Alice said shortly, swirling the Butterbeer around in her mug. Lily's eyes darted over to Alice; Alice didn't look at her. Remus waited for Alice to say something else, but she didn't, and everyone lapsed back into silence.

What must have only been five minutes, but felt more like five years, passed in which nobody spoke. Frustrated and feeling like she was the one getting in everyone's way, Alice gulped down the rest of her Butterbeer and stood up.

"I'll see you guys later, OK?"

Holly looked distraught. "Where are you going?"

"I still need to get presents for my parents," Alice lied. "I just want to get it out the way now, and then everything's done."

"We'll come with you," Holly said, looking at Remus for approval. Before he could say anything, Alice cut in.

"No, it's OK – I don't want to drag you guys back outside, it's freezing."

Alice began gathering up her bags and caught Lily's eye; in a moment, she knew that Lily knew the real reason why she was leaving. Lily was the one person who had always been able to read her like a book.

"Alice, you don't have to –" Lily began.

"Yes, I do," Alice said staunchly. "If I don't get them now, I won't have time to send them." She eyed Lily pleadingly, not wanting her to say anything aloud.

Lily sighed and nodded. "We'll see you at dinner," she said.

Alice nodded. "Have fun."

Safely outside the pub, Alice breathed a sigh of relief. She could literally feel the tension between the group, and couldn't help but feel like it was because she was there. _I guess four's company, five's a crowd._

Still, Alice didn't want to go back to Hogwarts yet. The dormitory would probably be empty – Belinda and the others would still be at Hogsmeade – and for once, Alice didn't feel like being completely alone. Out here, surrounded by people, she was OK, but she didn't think she could bear the silence of an empty room.

Beginning to stride down the street, Alice began to sort out her jumbled thoughts. What with the ball and starting to revise for the NEWTs, she had barely had time to worry about anything other than that; but now she was alone and she had time to think, everything just came screaming back to her.

She had only spoken to Dumbledore once since the night she went back in time to retrieve the weapon – she briefly wondered if he was avoiding her, but then shook that thought away; Dumbledore had always been pretty elusive. The evening she had spoken to him was the night before the Christmas Ball. She had bumped into him on her way to her dormitory, and had plucked up the courage to ask what the weapon was. He had been unusually short with her, and told her that it was nothing she needed to worry about. Alice had felt like snapping back, _well, why did you send _me _back to get it, then? _But she hadn't said anything; she didn't like being rude to teachers at the best of times, and she certainly wouldn't be cheeky to Dumbledore. He had then left before she could even switch the topic around to her uncle and whether he knew anything else about his whereabouts.

That was another matter she had to worry about – Cameron Tyler was still at large and "very dangerous", as the Ministry had described him in the latest issue of the Daily Prophet. Alice had caught a few glares aimed in her direction, but she had ignored them; she no longer felt guilty for being affiliated with a murderer – as far as she was concerned, they were no longer family. Her parents had owled her saying that they hadn't been in contact with him and didn't know anything else.

Then, of course, there was Lucius Malfoy… and what, exactly, he had meant when he had threatened her. Surprisingly, that was the thing that Alice was the most worried about – probably because Lucius had got a little too close for comfort the other night. What was to stop him from doing it again?

Alice shook her head, ridding the thoughts from her mind. Jolted back into reality, she realized two things; one, that she had walked so far that she was almost out of Hogsmeade – there were a couple of shops here and there, with a few people milling around, but apart from that, it was empty. Alice noted, with some surprise, that she had never been in this part of the village before. Probably because all of the shops looked as if they had been there for hundreds of years, she thought, wrinkling her nose. She could barely read some of the signs from the thick layers of dust coating them.

The second realization was that it had started snowing again. Well, _hailing_ would be a better word. The wind was howling and blowing the snow harshly into her face, and it was beginning to blur her vision. Alice's hands were becoming numb, even with her gloves on.

Wanting to get out of the snow as fast as she could, Alice glanced at the shops nearby. The closest one was a quill and ink shop that looked as if it hadn't been entered in years; the sign had broken and was hanging off; one was a liquor shop, which Alice passed by with distaste; one a rather seedy-looking pub… Alice was about to give up and turn around when she spied a shop at the end. Compared to the others, it looked slightly more modern – it was a lot cleaner, anyhow. A faded sign proclaimed it _Carson's Gift Shop. _

Shrugging, Alice pushed open the door. A bell tinkled somewhere in the shop as she slid inside, but nobody appeared. The shop was empty.

The air inside seemed thick – suffocating, almost. Alice pulled her scarf off, fanning her face with one hand as she felt her face immediately begin to warm up. The shop seemed less welcoming inside than it had seemed from the outside. It was dark and cramped, and almost creepily empty.

Alice took a few steps forward, glancing around at the strange knick-knacks that littered the shelves. There was a large crystal ball on her left that was filled with fog; Alice wrinkled her nose – she knew Holly loved Divination, but she had never really enjoyed it that much. Next to it was a large mirror that Alice stepped in front of curiously; when she saw her reflection in it she jumped backwards, her hands clamped over her mouth to stifle her shriek. Her face hadn't been her face – well, it hadn't been her current face, anyway. She had seen herself as an old woman, with sagging skin, thin white hair and drooping eyelids. That wasn't what had scared her, though – it was the look in the reflection's eyes. They looked haunted – suffering and full of remorse, as if she had spent her entire life in pain.

Alice stepped backwards, trying to put as much distance between herself and the mirror as she could. The sign next to it proclaimed it _The Mirror Of Erutuf: Look Into The Mirror And See Your Future Self!_

Was that really what was going to happen in her future? "Some gift," Alice muttered aloud, trying to make light of the situation, even though her heart was pounding. Spinning around with a shudder, thinking that she'd rather freeze to death in the snow than stay in this creepy shop, she was just about to grab the door handle when something caught her eye.

It was a glass rack full of jewellery, which was strange, since Alice had never really been a fan of jewellery. Strange rings, bracelets and necklaces gleamed dully in the minimal light of the shop. Alice approached it slightly warily. The object that had caught her attention was a bronze cloak fastener, studded with tiny emeralds, with intricate swirling patterns engraved on. Along the bottom, in tiny letters, were inscribed the words: _Planto A Votum_. Alice recognized them as Latin, but she didn't understand what they meant. Unlike the other pieces of jewellery, there was no price on it. The cloak fastener was a bit too fussy for Alice's usual taste, but it was undoubtedly one of the prettiest things she had ever seen.

"May I help you?"

Alice jumped and spun around. She hadn't even heard anyone come over. Behind her stood a wizened old man. He looked ancient – a hundred years old at least. He was shorter than Alice and his white hair stuck out in tufts all over his head. His eyes were bright green – much brighter than Lily's, which gave him a slightly unnerving look.

"Yes, please," Alice said, getting her breath back. "How much is that cloak fastener?" She pointed to show him which one she meant. A thing like that was probably way out of her price range, but there was no harm in asking.

A look of horror spread over the man's face as his gaze fell on the cloak fastener. "How did that get in there?" he mumbled, before springing over to the object – quite agilely, for someone as old as he looked – and snatching it up.

"It's not for sale," the man told Alice firmly.

"Oh – but – I just thought, seeing as it was on display –" Alice tried.

"It must have been put there by mistake," the man shrugged, cradling the cloak fastener to his chest. "It's not for sale."

"Why?" Alice couldn't help but ask.

The man frowned at her. "This is a very powerful magical object," he snapped. Alice opened her mouth to ask another question, but the man interrupted her. "Never you mind what it does," he said, and Alice's mouth closed. He had almost read her mind.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" the man asked, looking very much as if he wanted to take the cloak fastener and hide it away somewhere.

Alice glanced out of the window and saw that the snow had all but stopped. "No, but thanks anyway," she said with a brief smile. The man nodded at her distractedly before scurrying away to the back of the shop, muttering to himself.

_Weird, _Alice couldn't help but think as she exited the shop, _very weird._

_xxxxxxxxxx_

"Psst! Tyler!"

It was later on that same day. Alice had returned from Hogsmeade to find that Lily and Holly were both still not back from their respective dates yet, and since it wasn't quite time for dinner, she had decided to go and do a bit of her holiday homework in the library. She was sitting alone, reading an Arithmancy book in between jotting down notes for an essay, when she heard the whisper behind her. Swivelling around in her seat, she saw Sirius Black sitting at a seat on a table behind hers, grinning.

Alice mimed shock. "What are you doing here, Black? I didn't think you knew where the library was."

"Ha, ha," Sirius replied sarcastically. "I was looking for you, actually."

"So you automatically assumed I'd be in the library?" Alice asked, offended.

Sirius frowned. "Belinda told me where you were. What are you being so touchy about?"

Alice sighed, closing her book. "What did you want, anyway?" She couldn't keep a note of suspicion from creeping into her voice. Whatever he wanted, it couldn't possibly be good.

Sirius puffed himself up importantly. "I've got a plan."

"A plan for what? I'm not getting involved in one of your ridiculous pranks, Sirius," Alice said sternly.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It's not a prank! As if I'd ask _you_ to help me with one, anyway."

Alice let that slide, but felt very annoyed. "What is it, then?"

"A plan to get Lily and James together!" Sirius said triumphantly.

"Shhhhh!" Madam Pince, who was carefully putting books away onto one of the shelves, glared at them over the tops of her glasses.

Alice was shaking her head. Was this guy crazy? "Sirius, Lily has a boyfriend," she pointed out quietly, after a quick glance at Madam Pince to make sure she wasn't looking.

"So?" Sirius looked at her as if she was an idiot. Which, Alice thought, considering the circumstances, was a bit stupid. "That David's a prat. We all know James and Lily belong together."

"Really? I'd have thought that Lily would have said yes when he asked her out the first time, then," Alice said, raising her eyebrows.

Sirius ignored that. "We can just split them up."

Alice eyed him, wondering if he was insane. "If you think I'm going to ruin my best friend's relationship with a guy she actually likes, you're mad," she said firmly, opening her Arithmancy book again. "Is that all you wanted? Because I've got a lot of homework –" Her words were cut off when Sirius snatched the book from out of her hand.

"Do you mind?" Alice snapped.

"No," Sirius said, holding the book aloft and continuing as if the conversation had never been interrupted. "We won't actually have to split them up – they'll do it themselves."

Alice was tempted to just get out her wand, hex him and retrieve her book, but was stopped by two things: one, Madam Pince was still hovering behind one of the bookshelves, and two – much as she didn't want to admit it – she was kind of intrigued by what Sirius was suggesting. She would never tell Lily, of course, but she was rooting for her and James to get together – and they had come so close before the Christmas Ball.

Sirius could see that she was weakening, and grinned. "Come on, Tyler – don't you want your cousin to be happy?" he guilt-tripped.

"Fine," Alice relented. "I'll go along with you stupid plan. Can I have my book back, please?"

Smirking, Sirius handed her the book. "How do you know my plan's stupid? You haven't even heard it yet," he said with mock hurt.

"Go on then, hit me with it," Alice said flatly.

"Ah, it's a secret," Sirius said, looking pleased with himself. "I'm not going to tell you."

"So how am I supposed to help you if I don't know what I'm doing?" Alice frowned. Madam Pince, who had reappeared from behind the bookshelves, was sending them death glares.

"Look, just meet me on the second floor corridor at midnight tonight," Sirius said, getting up from his chair under Madam Pince's beady eye.

"What? I don't want to get into trouble for being out of bed in the middle of the night," Alice said, alarmed. "Sirius, wait!" Sirius was already striding away, though, and he ignored her.

Alice groaned, stuffing her book back into her bag and hitching it onto her shoulder. She couldn't get anything done now she had this to worry about. As she left the library, Alice thought grimly to herself, _What the bloody hell have I gotten myself into?_

_xxxxxxxxxx_

It was one minute past midnight. It was freezing cold, especially when you were only in your pyjamas. And Alice was beginning to wonder if she herself was the insane one, not Sirius.

"Why do I let myself get talked into these things?" she muttered under her breath, pulling her dressing gown tight around her. It didn't help that Hogwarts was a very old castle, with ghosts, caretakers and teachers probably wandering around the corridors, and every creak and groan that sounded make Alice jump out of her skin, wondering if someone was creeping up on her. She didn't know what the punishment was for being out after hours, but she definitely didn't want another detention, especially one with Sirius Black.

_Where the hell is he? _Alice thought to herself. Glancing around to check that she was completely alone, she illuminated the tip of her wand to peer at her watch. It was already past midnight. "Another five minutes, then I'm gone," she said aloud. It made her feel better to talk to herself when she was in the dark like this – it was less creepy that way.

"_Boo_!"

Alice almost jumped out of her skin, but by some miracle managed not to scream. Spinning around furiously, she saw Sirius standing behind her, laughing.

Alice clutched at her rapidly beating heart. "That wasn't funny," she said angrily. "What would have happened if I screamed? I could have woken up the whole castle."

"Not likely," Sirius snorted.

Alice looked around nervously. "Why didn't you bring the Invisibility Cloak?" she asked. "I've not got any particular desire to get caught out here."

"James left it in his trunk, and he locked it," Sirius shrugged. "I didn't want to wake him up because I didn't want him to know what we were doing. I've got this, though," he said, waving the map at her. "It doesn't matter anyway. The teachers are all down on the first floor anyway, I already checked."

"Great," Alice said, shivering. "So tell me about this plan then, so I can go back to bed. I'm cold."

"I can't tell you, I've got to show you," Sirius said mysteriously. "Down this way." He headed off further down the corridor, and, incidentally, further away from the Ravenclaw tower. Alice sighed and followed.

They didn't have to go very far before Sirius stopped in front of something. "Voila," he said, with a dramatic flourish, and Alice held her wand up to see what they were standing in front of.

It was a broom closet. Alice stood there, one eyebrow raised. "What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"The broom closet, of course!" Sirius said, as if she was mentally challenged. Which Alice was beginning to think she was.

"Uh huh," Alice said slowly. "I don't get it. How can this help Lily and James get together?"

"That's the best part of the plan," Sirius said triumphantly. "We'll have to lure Lily and James here somehow – I'm sure we'll be able to think of something. Anyway, when they get down here, we can lock them in the closet together!"

"And?" Alice asked.

Sirius frowned. "There's no 'and'," he said defensively. "That's it."

For a moment, Alice couldn't speak. She knew Sirius was a prat at times, but she couldn't believe that he had dragged her down here in the middle of the night for _this. _"That," she said, finally finding her voice, "is the most rubbish plan I have ever heard in my life, Black."

"What?" Sirius sounded injured.

"How will that help them get together?" Alice asked, eyebrows raised. "It's stupid!"

"Well, I thought it was a pretty good idea," Sirius shrugged. "If we lock them in there, they won't have any other choice but to talk to each other. And talking could lead to – other things, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do," Alice sighed. "Look, just because you use broom closets for your little _escapades _–" at this, Sirius smirked – "doesn't mean that everyone does. Even if James might not mind being locked in a room with Lily, I know for a fact that Lily would, and she wouldn't find it funny at all. If anything, it'll just backfire and she'll end up being pissed off with _us_."

Alice had been talking so loudly that she hadn't heard the soft footsteps coming towards them. Sirius had, though, and he quickly put his finger to his lips to shush her. Alice stopped her rant and listened; she heard a voice mumbling something. The footsteps were getting closer.

Sirius glanced at the map quickly. "It's Filch," he hissed, and Alice groaned inwardly. Of all the people to catch them out of bed at night, it would have to be the grumpy old caretaker. They were going to be in _big _trouble.

"Of all the nights for you not to have the bloody cloak," Alice muttered, wondering if she could make a mad dash for the Ravenclaw tower. Unfortunately, Filch was approaching from the direction in which Alice needed to go. If she wanted to make it back into her dormitory, she would have to run right past him.

Cursing under her breath, Alice was beginning to get a bit panicky. "What can we do?" she whispered, not sure that Sirius would have any good ideas but deciding to risk it anyway.

"The broom closet!" Sirius said, yanking open the door. Being a bit of a claustrophobic herself, Alice had no desire to get into a cramped broom closet, but it was either that or get caught by Filch. Muttering a, "Why me?" under her breath, Alice jumped inside, followed by Sirius, who shut the door with a soft click.

"I cannot believe this," Alice began grumbling, but Sirius snapped, "Sshh!"

Alice strained her ears to listen. The footsteps were still approaching softly, and they could hear Filch mumbling something to his cat, Mrs. Norris. Alice couldn't stand that cat; she wasn't very fond of them in general, but there was something sly about Mrs. Norris. She half-thought that Filch could understand everything the cat said.

The footsteps stopped just outside the door. Alice held her breath, trying not to move a muscle. Next to her, she could feel Sirius doing the same. It felt like they were stood there for hours, yet in reality could only have been a couple of minutes. There was silence outside the door.

"I think he's gone," Sirius whispered. Alice couldn't see him, because it was pitch black.

"Open the door then," Alice hissed back. She heard Sirius grasp the handle and push the door open a couple of centimeters. It gave an ear-splitting creak.

Suddenly, Alice got the shock of her life. The door was pulled open viciously. "Aha!" she heard a voice say, but she couldn't see who it was. She jumped backwards in shock, and much to her dismay, barreled straight into Sirius, who in turn staggered and fell sideways out of the closet. Alice went tumbling out after him, landing heavily on her knees.

Slowly, Alice raised her head to see Filch standing over them triumphantly, holding a lantern.

"This isn't what it looks like," Alice began hastily. Blindly, she tried to think of some sort of excuse, but couldn't. How were they going to get out of this one?

"Oh, really?" Filch said with a nasty grin. "It looks to me like two hormonal young students meeting in the broom closet for a late-night tryst!"

Alice could hear Sirius sniggering. She wasn't laughing, though – she was horrified. For the first time it occurred to her that it probably would have been better to be caught wandering the corridors rather than in the broom closet. Especially with a serial snogger like Sirius Black!

"This is _not _what this is," Alice stressed.

"What is it, then?" Filch glared at her.

But Alice couldn't think of anything, so instead just looked at her feet. Filch's smirk widened.

"Mark my words, your heads of houses will hear about this!" Filch said with a cackle.

"What, right now?" Alice said, horrified.

"Of course not," Filch snapped. "I'm not going to wake the teachers up now. I'll go to them first thing in the morning. Now get back to your dormitories. At once!"

Alice was only too happy to oblige and scarpered back to her room, not even glancing back at Sirius. She was far too wound up. She couldn't believe that she had been stupid enough to agree to listen to Sirius's plan, which she should have known would be absolute crap anyway, but to let herself get caught by _Filch, _of all people!

"That's it," Alice snapped to herself as she entered the seventh-year Ravenclaw dormitory, "I'm never going to break any school rules again, no matter how much I'm tempted – it leads to nothing but trouble."

"What?" Somebody was sitting up in their bed, yawning.

Alice cursed herself for talking too loudly, but then she saw that it was only Emmeline and she sighed with relief.

"Alice, where have you been?" Emmeline asked, raising her eyebrows.

Alice flopped herself down onto her bed. "Believe me, you don't want to know," she sighed.

"OK," Emmeline shrugged. That was one thing Alice liked about her, she wasn't as nosy as some of the other girls in her dormitory. "But if you want to talk about it, I haven't really been able to sleep very well tonight."

Alice hesitated. She couldn't tell Lily about this, of course – then she'd have to admit that she was trying to get her together with James. She could talk to Holly, but she wouldn't see her until the following day, and she did really want to tell someone.

She rolled over onto her back. "I let Sirius Black talk me into something really stupid," she said dully. "And to cut a long story short, Sirius and I got caught in the broom closet by Filch!"

"You _what_?"

Alice jolted up. That wasn't Emmeline's voice.

Belinda was sitting up in her bed, eyes bright with curiosity. "Alice, did I just hear you say that you got caught in the broom closet with _Sirius Black_?"

"No!" Alice protested. "I mean, yes, but it's not how it sounds!"

Belinda let out a squeal. "You are _so _lucky!" she said. "Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your position?"

"What position?" Alice said moodily. "I just said, it's not how it sounds!"

"I guess even hard-boiled Alice Tyler can't resist the infamous Black charm," Belinda remarked annoyingly.

Alice clenched her fists. "Am I talking to a brick wall or something? I just said, that's not what happened!"

"Sure, of course," Belinda said in an infuriating tone of voice that said she didn't believe Alice at all.

"It _wasn't_!" Alice insisted.

"Whatever, Alice!" Belinda said brightly, as if she were talking to a little kid.

"Just ignore her," Emmeline advised serenely, shaking her head at Belinda's bed. "She doesn't have a clue."

"Yeah, you're right there," Alice mumbled, taking Emmeline's advice and not saying anything to Belinda. "But you know what she's like; it'll be all over school tomorrow!"

Emmeline shrugged. "It doesn't matter, does it? You know it's not true."

Alice just groaned by way of reply and stuck her head under the pillow. "Thanks, Emmeline, but nothing is going to make me feel better now. I'm tired – I think I'll just go to sleep," she said in a muffled voice.

"No problem," she heard Emmeline reply. In a matter of seconds, the dormitory was silent again.

Alice knew, though, that Belinda wasn't going to keep quiet about this. She was the school's gossip guru.

Alice pulled her pillow even further over her head. _My life is definitely over._

xxxxxxxxxx

**You know what to do :D Next chapter, there's trouble in paradise for Lily and David, and Alice finds herself in yet another predicament.**


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Sorry about the wait for updates, but I sort of lost the will to write. I'm back now though, and the story's flowing a bit more now. I've got it all mapped out, so I know exactly what's going to happen when. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

Christmas Eve was usually Alice's favourite time of the year. Ever since she was tiny, she had loved the feeling of mystery and suspense surrounding the day. Everyone was in similar giddy, happy moods, and there was the added excitement of trying to guess what was in the presents stacked neatly under the tree. It seemed childish now, but even though she was nearly eighteen, Alice still couldn't stop that tingling feeling she got when she opened her eyes on Christmas Eve morning. It was the one day a year she allowed herself to relax completely and not stress out over anything and everything like she usually did.

This year, however, was different. Alice awoke the next morning feeling as grumpy as a bear with a sore head. A glance at the clock told her that she had slept late – it was almost nine-thirty. When she dragged herself fully awake and glanced around the dorm, she discovered that Belinda and crew had already left, so she couldn't even bribe them not to say anything. Emmeline was gone, too; she must have figured that, after the events of last night, Alice would want to sleep in to try and avoid the crowds. Thanking her lucky stars that it was the holidays and so there were no classes, she took her time, hoping that by the time she got down to breakfast, most people would be gone.

No such luck. Everyone must have had the same idea as her, and slept in late – the Great Hall was almost full, packed with laughing and chattering students. Alice walked past the Ravenclaw table, studiously ignoring Belinda and co, who were giggling and pointing at her. She plonked herself down at the Gryffindor table next to Lily and David, who were holding hands and sharing toast, and opposite Holly, who averted her eyes when Alice arrived.

"I guess the rumour mill has already made its way round," Alice said dryly.

Holly blushed, busying herself with adding milk to her tea and didn't answer. Lily, however, had plenty to say.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" she said, eyes popping. "Are you out of your mind, or what?"

"It wasn't how it sounds," Alice parroted, knowing that she sounded stupid even to her own ears.

"Then how was it, exactly?" Lily's voice was annoyed, but a glance at her face told Alice that she was also fairly amused.

Alice sighed, and helped herself to some bacon and eggs. She didn't know why, but she was starving hungry this morning. In between bites, she explained the whole story to Lily, David and a wide-eyed Holly.

When she had finished, Lily snorted. "Should've known Belinda was exaggerating, as usual," she said, going back to her breakfast now that the drama was over.

"That must have been _awful_," Holly shuddered, her half-finished cup of cold tea now long forgotten. "I mean, getting caught by Filch – how humiliating must that be!"

"Ugh, don't remind me," Alice groaned, scowling into her plate. "I bet everyone thinks I'm a complete hypocrite, don't they?"

"I'm sure they don't," Holly said soothingly.

"Wow, you really are having a bad year, aren't you?" Lily said thoughtfully. "I mean, first the whole thing with your uncle, then the whole fiasco at the ball, and now…" she trailed off when she saw Alice giving her a death glare.

"You are _not _helping," Alice moaned.

Holly was looking over Alice's shoulder. "Looks like things are about to get worse," she muttered. "Here comes McGonagall, _and _Flitwick."

Alice glanced over her shoulder to see McGonagall glaring down at her, with her head of house, the tiny Professor Flitwick, peering around McGonagall's imposing form. "Miss Tyler, if you could come with me, please," she said, her expression grim. "You too, Mr. Black," she added to Sirius, who was sitting a few spaces down.

Alice bowed her head and she got up and followed McGonagall and Flitwick out of the Great Hall. Whispers and stares followed them as they left; Alice held her chin up with what little dignity she had left, but when they left through the double doors, she let her head droop to stare gloomily at the floor.

They reached McGonagall's office. "Wait here," McGonagall said icily, and she and Flitwick entered the office, closing the door behind them.

Alice examined her shoes moodily. It seemed like all she was doing lately was getting in trouble. _What a way to spend my final year at Hogwarts._

Sirius, standing next to her, began to whistle nonchalantly. Alice gritted her teeth, balling her hands into fists at the sides. _I will not let him get to me, I will not…_

Sirius continued to whistle. Alice turned to him. "Would you please be quiet," she said as calmly as she could while her fists were still clenched. "Haven't you been enough trouble already?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Tyler, what's the worst they can do? Take away house points? Give us detention? It's not exactly the crime of the century, is it? They're not going to throw us into Azkaban." He sniggered.

"This is not a laughing matter," Alice snapped. "And anyway, that's not the point."

"Then what are you so stressed out about?" Sirius sounded bewildered.

Alice began to pace up and down. "I am stressed out," she started, "because everyone thinks I was in that broom closet with you. I am stressed out because now everyone thinks I'm one of your sad little groupies, when I wouldn't be caught dead acting like that. I am stressed out because now everyone, including the teachers, think that I have absolutely no shame – or pride – _whatsoever, _and _it's all your fucking fault_!"

It was as if all her rage and frustration had been packed into that one little speech. Alice spewed out the words forcefully, all in one breath, and even she was surprised at herself for the use of her language. Sirius looked taken aback and actually flinched when she yelled those last few words.

Alice moved to stand a good few metres away from Sirius, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her back on him. Sirius fell silent; Alice didn't know if it was because of what she had said or if he was just planning how to wind her up next, and to be honest, she didn't really care. She had had more than enough of Sirius Black for one day – hell, one entire _lifetime_.

The office door opened and Flitwick beckoned them inside. Alice and Sirius trooped in like prisoners on their way to their execution.

McGonagall was standing behind her desk, regarding them with contempt. "You know why you are here, I presume?" she asked coldly.

Alice nodded dumbly; she didn't see what Sirius did because she was refusing to look at him.

"It wasn't what it looked like," Alice protested feebly. She couldn't just stand there and be humiliated like this. She was about to continue, but the expression on McGonagall's face made her swallow her words and stare down at the floor instead.

"Oh, really?" McGonagall's voice penetrated through Alice's skull, and she winced. "Mr Black, I have come to expect this sort of behaviour from you. But as for _you_, Miss Tyler," she continued sternly, "you are an intelligent, sensible girl, and I thought you would have had more sense. Now, what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"It wasn't Alice's fault, Professor."

Alice's head snapped up at once. Sirius had stepped forward, and McGonagall was looking at him in disbelief.

"She's telling the truth," Sirius declared. "It wasn't what it looked like. I asked Alice to meet me because I wanted to talk to her about James. When we heard Filch, I mean Mr Filch, coming, I was the one who persuaded her to hide in the broom closet so we wouldn't get caught."

"Is this true, Miss Tyler?" McGonagall asked, turning to her. Alice glanced sideways at Sirius and saw him nod slightly.

"Yes, Professor," Alice mumbled. "It's true."

McGonagall didn't speak for a moment. Alice could see that she didn't know what to believe. On the one hand, Sirius and his broom closet antics had been the talk of the school since fifth year. On the other, would anyone really think that Alice Tyler, of all people, would flout the school rules so blatantly just so she could snog Sirius Black, when it was common knowledge that the two of them went together about as well as oil and water?

"Very well," McGonagall said finally. "However, Professor Flitwick and I have decided that as you were both out of bed after hours, twenty points will be taken from both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw." A pause. "And since you persuaded Miss Tyler to take part in your foolish antics, Mr Black, you will receive detention with Mr Filch, to be taken after the Christmas holidays."

"Yes, Professor," Alice and Sirius recited dutifully.

"You may go," Professor McGonagall said, dismissing them.

Outside, Alice wanted to rush straight back to her friends, but she hesitated for a moment. Turning and forcing herself to meet Sirius' eyes, she sighed. "Thanks," she said sincerely.

"For what?" Sirius looked bewildered.

"Well, you didn't have to do that," Alice said feebly.

Sirius shrugged. "It was the truth, wasn't it?"

"Well, yeah," Alice admitted. "But you could have easily just let me take some of the blame, you know."

"Forget about it," Sirius grinned. "Can't have any marks on your unblemished record now, can we?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "You never bloody change, do you?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nope."

"Well, thanks anyway," Alice repeated, then, feeling like an idiot, turned and dashed back to the Great Hall.

As she hurried past the Ravenclaw table, somebody grabbed her arm. Alice turned to see Belinda clutching the sleeve of her robe, Jen and Suzanne sitting on either side of her. All three girls were glaring at her.

"Belinda, I haven't got time for this right now," Alice said through gritted teeth.

"I've been thinking," Belinda said coolly, completely ignoring Alice. "About what went on with you and Sirius, I mean."

"Which is absolutely nothing," Alice said, trying to squirm free.

"Oh, please," Belinda said dismissively. "It's all over the school!"

"Yes, it is, thanks to you!" Alice snapped.

"Anyway, I thought we had a deal," Belinda continued, glaring at Alice.

"We had a deal?" Alice raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"About you putting in a good word for _me _with Sirius," Belinda said coldly.

"I never agreed to that," Alice corrected. Belinda's grip on her arm was like a vise. "And anyway, you didn't seem too bothered last night."

"That was before the entire school started thinking you and he are this hot new couple," Belinda said maliciously.

"That's your own bloody fault!" Alice said in amazement. "You were the one who started the rumour!"

"Yes, well, I didn't think of the repercussions," Belinda admitted. "Anyway, the point is, you agreed to help hook me up with Sirius. Instead, you've moved in on him yourself. Not a very loyal thing to do, is it?"

Alice could hardly believe what she was hearing. In a lightning flash, she jerked her arm away so hard that Belinda almost fell backwards off the seat.

"Do you ever listen to a word I say?" Alice threw up her hands and gave a bitter laugh. "You know, you actually gave me some good advice about my uncle, Belinda," she continued scornfully. "I actually thought you'd changed and stopped being such an airhead, but obviously not. Could you contemplate growing up for just a second? Me and Sirius are not, and never will be, a couple! Even so, that doesn't mean I'd put in a good word for you," she finished. "You're one of the most selfish, ignorant, bitchy people I've ever met, and I've had it up to HERE with you!" With that, she stormed back off to the Gryffindor table, ignoring Belinda's open-mouthed shock and the whisperings and glances that followed her.

Holly's eyes were wide as a still-fuming Alice slid into her seat. Lily couldn't help grinning. "Wow, you really told her!" she whispered.

"She deserved it," Alice said grimly. "I'm fed up of sharing a dormitory with her and her lackeys. God knows how they all ended up in Ravenclaw. Those three would have made brilliant Slytherins."

Holly looked back at the Ravenclaw table. "She's giving you a really evil look," she informed Alice.

"I don't care," Alice announced. And for once, she could honestly say that she didn't.

xxxxxxxxxx

Alone in the library later on that day, Alice was flipping through a book aimlessly. Holly and Remus had gone off to spend some time together alone. Lily was due to meet her here in a minute, she had just gone back to her dormitory to get a book she had to return to the library. Alice wasn't really concentrating on reading, however, she was thinking about everything that had happened recently. _I sure seem to be making a lot of enemies lately,_ she thought grimly. First Malfoy, and now three of her dorm-mates hated her.

She was sitting in the furthest corner of the library, filled with old, musty books, where hardly anyone ever came. She had no desire whatsoever to go back to the Ravenclaw tower and face Belinda's wrath. Although she knew Belinda couldn't really _do _anything to her – not in the way Malfoy could, anyway – she knew that the girl could be very nasty. She was sure Belinda had something malicious planned for her when she returned to the dormitory.

Alice sighed and closed the book. Lily shouldn't be too long, but Alice couldn't just sit around wallowing in her thoughts. Getting up from her chair, Alice decided to go in search of a book that would actually keep her interest. As she turned the corner into some of the less-explored shelves, she heard muffled voices coming from behind one of the stacks.

Alice frowned. Wasn't that Belinda's voice?

Curiosity getting the better of her, Alice peeked through one of the stacks. If Belinda was plotting something against her, Alice wanted to be one step ahead of her. However, the sight that met her eyes was even more terrible than she would have guessed. Belinda was there, all right, but not with her cronies as Alice would have thought.

Belinda and David were in the stacks together. _Kissing._

Horrified, Alice couldn't move. Her feet seemed stuck to the floor. Rage was coursing through her veins at the sight of her best friend's boyfriend betraying her with that… that _cow_… but still she could not move.

"Alice? I thought I saw you coming this way."

Alice spun around in horror. "Lily, no –" she choked out, not wanting her to witness the awful sight, but it was too late. Lily had already caught sight of David and Belinda.

She didn't say anything for a moment, just opened and closed her mouth a few times. In any other situation Alice would have burst out laughing; Lily looked just like a goldfish, but the hurt and anger in her eyes was more than Alice could bear. Her feet magically unglued from the floor, and she stepped around the stacks to confront the traitors.

"Well," Alice said, sounding a lot calmer than she felt. At the sound of her voice, David broke away from Belinda and turned in surprise. At the sight of Alice, his expression changed from being shocked to first guilty, then terrified as he realized that Alice had her wand drawn.

Alice gave a short, humourless laugh. "I always heard it was the quiet ones you had to watch out for," she said coldly, aiming her words at David and feeling satisfaction as she saw him flinch, "but you were the last person I'd ever suspect to be a lying, cheating snake."

"Alice, this isn't – I mean, it is, but I never meant to –" David attempted to explain.

"Shut up," Alice snapped. David stopped talking and lowered his eyes. "I don't want to hear any of your stupid, pathetic excuses right now, thank you."

Alice turned her fury onto Belinda, who was standing there smirking at Alice as if enjoying some private joke. "And as for _you_," she said bitterly, clenching her fists as she saw Belinda's grin widen, "this is how you decide to get back at me? By hurting my friends? Your problem was with me, Belinda, not Lily. She never did anything to hurt you. And don't you _dare_ speak to me," she added as Belinda opened her mouth, "or I'm going to do something that I'll regret later. You've gone way over the line, Belinda. I can't believe even you would sink this low."

Alice turned back to see if Lily was OK, but she had vanished. Alice didn't know when she had left, but it wasn't important right now.

Once again facing the pair, one looking hurt and guilty, the other smug, Alice raised her wand. A couple of well-placed jinxes sent tentacles sprouting all over both of their faces. Alice hadn't even started yet, but Belinda's shrieks brought Madam Pince running.

"What on earth is all this racket?" she asked furiously, but upon seeing the afflicted pair and Alice with her wand poised for battle, she gave an exclamation.

"Miss Tyler, what exactly is the meaning of this?"

"They deserve it," Alice said calmly, not caring that she was insulting the librarian. "They deserve that and a lot more."

Madam Pince looked shocked at Alice's rudeness. "Magic in the library is absolutely forbidden," she stated angrily. "Especially jinxing your fellow students!"

"I don't care any more," Alice said recklessly, reflecting that it was becoming her motto of the day.

Madam Pince opened and closed her mouth, obviously shocked that Alice was being so deliberately insolent. "Mr Hadley and Miss Gold, take yourselves to the Hospital Wing immediately," she said briskly. "Miss Tyler, you will accompany me to Professor Flitwick's office," she added sternly, huffing up in indignation. "We'll see what he has to say about this!"

"Fine," Alice said bitterly, stowing her wand away and following Madam Pince out of the library, casting one last poisonous glance at Belinda and David as she did so. "It's the story of my life lately anyway."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Next chapter should be up shortly.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Told you all I'd be updating more regularly! Special thanks go to Anya (as always) and Courtney.

It was the talk of the school. Alice Tyler, for six years the model student, was in disgrace. She had been in disgrace over Christmas, New Year, and well into the start of the new term. It was almost February and it didn't show any signs of letting up.

Students and teachers alike had been shocked at Alice's recent reckless behaviour. Wherever she went, whispers and remarks followed her from her fellow students. The teachers treated her warily, as if she was a bomb about to explode. Alice had two options: one was to keep a low profile so the teachers would begin to trust her again, and the other was to continue her rebellious behaviour, seeing as that's what people were expecting from her. At the moment, Alice wasn't sure as to which path she wanted to take.

"Everything seems to be going wrong this year," she commented to Holly during a Transfiguration lesson.

Holly, who was frowning while busily trying to transfer a hamster into an alarm clock, replied vaguely, "it's not that bad."

"Yes it is," Alice moaned. She had already successfully Transfigured her hamster and was now lolling back in her chair; being in disgrace with the teachers had made her buckle down and work harder than ever. Transfiguration, however, was one of Holly's weak spots, and she was having more difficulty.

"Well, at least one good thing's come out of it," Holly said, lunging for her hamster as it scurried across the table and attempted to hurl itself off the edge in a bid to escape. "Oh, this stupid thing!"

"What good thing?" Alice asked, ignoring Holly's second comment.

Holly didn't reply, just gestured her head to the left.

Alice glanced over to see what Holly was looking at. James was standing behind Lily, showing her the correct technique of flicking her wand. Alice was sure Lily probably didn't need the help, but nevertheless couldn't help smiling.

"Yeah, those two have been getting a lot closer since – well, you know."

After she had jinxed Belinda and David in a fury, Madam Pince had dragged her off to Professor Flitwick. Flitwick wasn't strict like McGonagall, but he had looked very disappointed upon seeing Alice hauled to his office for the second time that day. He had taken a further ten points from Ravenclaw and given Alice detention. Alice had accepted her punishment without argument, but as soon as she left the office she had gone in search of Lily. Unable to find her, she returned to the dormitory and, much to her relief, found Belinda, Jen and Suzanne conspicuously absent. Alice had bitterly recounted the story to Emmeline, who had been sympathetic as always, but Alice really wanted to see if Lily was OK.

Determined to find her, Alice hung around outside the Fat Lady's portrait. As it was Christmas Eve, there weren't as many people going in and out – nearly everyone had gone home for the holidays. Alice had waited for a good half-hour until a wide-eyed Holly came out, enquiring as to what was going on. Alice had, once again, told Holly the whole story, and at the end of it Holly had said she thought something strange had been going on, as when she went down into the Common Room she had found Lily crying all over the shoulder of JAMES POTTER.

Alice's mouth had fallen open at this, and she demanded that Holly bring Lily out at once. Holly had fetched Lily, who came out red-eyed, with James in tow, and fallen on Alice immediately. She had thought David was a decent guy… how could she have been so stupid?

Alice and Holly patted her on the back and told her that everything would be fine, Alice using some pretty strong language to describe the two backstabbers. James hovered in the background and made some rather colourful suggestions as to what he would like to do to David, which had made Lily laugh through her tears. Ever since then, Lily and James had been hanging out together a lot more than was normal. Alice had wondered if Lily was just doing it to get back at David and Belinda, but in her heart she knew that Lily wouldn't do that.

A sudden ringing jolted Alice from her thoughts. Holly had successfully Transfigured her hamster, but it had began to ring rather loudly. A blushing Holly muttered, "Silencio!" causing the alarm clock to stop.

"See!" Alice said. "You _can _do it!"

"Yeah, after about a million attempts," Holly pointed out. "What if I screw up in the NEWTs?"

"You won't," Alice assured her, picking up her bag as McGonagall dismissed the class. "Want to go and get some lunch?"

"Sure," Holly said, grabbing her books. "I said I'd meet Remus, though. Is that OK?"

"Fine," Alice shrugged. "Lily will probably want to eat with James anyway."

As the two of them left the classroom, they almost bumped straight into Belinda and David, who were obviously on their way to the Great Hall. Belinda gave Alice a glare as she walked past and grabbed hold of David's hand. However, Alice didn't take the bait. She had lost her temper with Belinda when she had caught her with David, but ever since then she had been studiously ignoring her. Lily had convinced her she wasn't worth it, and Alice had been forced to agree.

"Alice, Holly," David mumbled as the two girls walked past. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

Alice and Holly shot him identical looks of disgust, and he lowered his head to stare at the floor as they swept past.

A few days after Alice had caught him with Belinda, David had stopped Alice on her way to breakfast. He had begged her to listen to him, and Alice, rather curious as to how he was going to explain himself, had stopped to hear what he had to say. As David told her how Belinda had cornered him in the library and threw herself at him, and how he had tried to push her away but eventually gave in – he just couldn't help himself, he said, she was so pretty and popular – Alice had grown more and more annoyed. She let him bleat on for a good ten minutes, during which he asked her if she would talk to Lily for him and maybe see if she would forgive him. Once he'd wound down, Alice opened her mouth and let rip. She told him exactly what she thought of him and his pathetic ways, and as he blushed his way through her profanity, Sirius Black had appeared out of nowhere, watching the exchange with an amused expression. Alice didn't even realize he was there until she heard him start to laugh and whirled around to see him standing behind her. After that she had run out of steam, and settled for storming off haughtily.

Lily had pleaded with Alice not to do anything to Belinda or David, and Alice had decided to respect her best friend's wishes. Since then, whenever they saw either of them, she and Holly had stared straight through them, as if they didn't exist. She could tell it was a relief for David, but it seemed to annoy Belinda even more. She was determined to get a reaction out of Alice, and attempted to provoke her by giving her filthy looks whenever possible. Alice, however, couldn't be bothered any more. She had thrown her energy back into her schoolwork, and her grades were higher than ever. It wasn't seeming to soften the teachers up any, though.

"Idiots," commented Holly as they turned the corner.

"Too right," Alice agreed.

There was the sound of running footsteps behind them and James appeared, pushing his way in between Alice and Holly and wrapping an arm around each of them. "Hi guys," he said, a blissful smile on his face.

"You're mighty perky all of a sudden," Holly commented.

"Yeah," Alice teased. "This wouldn't have anything to do with our favourite redhead, would it?"

James responded by pulling Alice and Holly into a crushing hug; nearly strangling the two girls. "Erm, James – we do need to breathe, you know," Alice rasped, struggling to break free of James' chokehold.

"Oh, sorry," James said, releasing them. "But yes. Lily has finally agreed to go with me to Hogsmeade next weekend!"

"That's fantastic!" Holly said happily.

James didn't reply, but the huge grin all over his face said it all.

Alice was genuinely pleased for her cousin. He had been in love with Lily for years, and although at times he hadn't handled it in the best way possible, she was glad to see that it was finally working out for them. And Lily seemed to be happy too. It was remarkable how quickly she had gotten over the fiasco with David. In fact, she had gotten over it far quicker than Alice had.

"Well, he did me a favour, really," Lily pointed out, when the three girls were having lunch a few minutes later. "I mean, I'm glad he showed his true colours before I got too involved with him. I had a lucky escape."

Holly looked over to where David was sitting at the Ravenclaw table with Belinda and her friends. "Looks like _he _didn't," she chuckled. Belinda, Suzanne and Jen were screeching with high-pitched laughter about something. David was looking utterly bored and miserable, and he kept sending longing glances at Lily's back.

Alice caught his eye, and couldn't resist giving him a mocking smirk. "Poor, poor David," she said sarcastically, pushing her plate away. "Imagine having to spend so much time with Belinda."

"Well, if you ask me, he deserves everything he gets," Holly said with finality, and Alice couldn't help but agree.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Alice?"

Alice jumped in surprise as she heard her name being spoken. It was later on that evening. She had been lying on her stomach on her bed, reading, and had been so absorbed in the book that she hadn't even heard anyone come into the dorm.

Rolling over, she saw that it was Emmeline. She had obviously just come from outside, as her hair was slightly damp from the rain and she was wearing her heavy robes.

"Hi, Emmeline," Alice said, snapping her book shut and sitting up. "Are you OK?"

Emmeline's face looked grave. "Have you seen the _Prophet _today?" she asked.

Alice's heart sank. "No, why?" She had avoided all newspapers, doing a spectacular job of ignoring her uncle's antics, relying on news from her friends. "Oh, God, has something else… has Cameron done something?"

"No, no!" Emmeline said hastily. "Well, not that I know of. No, it's nothing to do with your uncle, Alice."

"He's not my uncle," Alice said bitterly, but she felt relief wash over her.

Emmeline hesitated for a moment before pulling the newspaper out of her pocket. She tossed it towards Alice before removing her robes and hanging them up next to her own bed.

Alice unrolled the paper. _10 MUGGLE-BORN ATTACKS IN 2 WEEKS! _the headline screamed.

Alice looked up at Emmeline. "So?" she asked, not sure what the big deal was. "I mean, it's awful, I know – but we know that it's been going on. What makes this any different?"

Emmeline seated herself down on the bed next to Alice. "It's just," she hedged. "Ten attacks in two weeks – things are getting bad, Alice."

"I know," Alice sighed, agreeing with Emmeline but still not understanding the relevance.

Emmeline bit her lip. "I think we need to talk," she said slowly.

Alice frowned. "What's the matter?"

"I've noticed that you're not on speaking terms with Belinda and the others," Emmeline hedged.

Alice straightened up. "I've got good reason not to want to talk to that group of bitches," she said defensively.

Emmeline winced at her words. "I can understand that, Alice, but it kind of puts everything in perspective, doesn't it?" She gestured towards the newspaper.

Alice arched her brows. "I don't know what you're getting at, Emmeline."

"I think you're taking this whole feud thing too far," Emmeline said delicately. "I know Belinda was wrong to do what she did, and I know she and her friends aren't the easiest people in the world to get along with – but we're all Ravenclaws at the end of the day, aren't we? I mean, the Gryffindors and Slytherins can barely have a civilized conversation – we don't want the same sort of thing going on with people from the same houses, do we?"

Alice stared at her blankly.

Emmeline sighed. "There's about to be a war, Alice," she said bluntly. "We all need to pull together in this. We need to be able to trust each other if we're going to win it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Alice did, but it didn't mean she liked what Emmeline was saying. How the hell was she supposed to _trust_ Belinda after what she did? She was about to open her mouth to tell Emmeline that but Emmeline hastily interrupted her.

"I know you feel like you can't trust Belinda," she said. "I don't trust her either. But I do know one thing – she's not evil, Alice. We all have to work together to get through this. I'm not asking you to be best friends with her. But can't you at least be civil? I mean, Lily's over the whole thing with David. I think you need to get over it too."

Alice knew that Emmeline was right. She was being petty, holding a grudge against Belinda for this long. But that was how Alice worked – and she didn't like hearing it spoken aloud.

"I'll think about it," Alice said stonily. Emmeline opened her mouth to argue some more, but Alice held a hand up to stop her. "Emmeline, I agree with what you're saying. It makes sense. But Belinda really hurt my best friend. I can't forgive and forget just like that. Can you understand that?"

"I never said you had to," protested Emmeline. "It's just that, in times to come we might have to join forces to help us win this thing. It would make things so much easier if we could all forget our differences."

"It would make things easier," Alice agreed. "But when was life ever easy? I'm sorry, Emmeline, and I understand, but if – and this is a very big _if _– I'll make amends with Belinda when I feel that the time's right. Then again, it may never be."

Emmeline threw her hands up. "I've never met anyone as stubborn as you, Alice Tyler."

Alice allowed herself a small smile. "You've obviously never met my mother!"

xxxxxxxxxx

"Dammit!"

Alice cursed under her breath as her heavy bag slid off her shoulder and her books spilled out all over the floor. She was late for Muggle Studies, and she had been hurrying along as fast as she could. Unfortunately, the bag she was carrying had protested at being bumped about so much and had decided to fall to the floor.

Alice crouched down, collecting everything that she had dropped, feeling pissed off with herself. She was trying to get back into the teachers' good books, and strolling into class ten minutes late was not the way to go about it. Alice had just stuffed everything into her bag and was preparing to make a move again when she heard voices approaching her.

Worried that it was going to be one of the teachers – or Filch – Alice reversed backwards hastily, round the corner she had just come around. She wasn't in the mood to answer questions about why she wasn't in class.

Alice could hear voices and relaxed; it sounded like students. However, her guard went up once more as she realized that one of those voices was Snape's. Alice didn't trust him any more than she trusted Belinda.

The other voice was squeaky and high-pitched. Alice frowned. That was Peter, talking with Snape _again_!

Alice scurried forwards, breathing hard. The two voices seemed to have stopped coming any closer. Alice edged up to the wall and pressed herself flat against it, listening to the conversation.

" – what's going to happen," Snape was saying.

"But – but –" Peter was stammering. "I don't want this; I don't want any of this!"

"It's too late for that," Snape said coldly. "You know things now, Pettigrew. Too many things."

"I don't care," Peter said stubbornly. "People could get hurt. My friends could get hurt!"

"They won't," Snape said. "Not if they stay out of the way. Malfoy has assured me that they only want her."

Alice's heart was hammering behind her ribcage. She couldn't believe what she was hearing – didn't want to believe what she was hearing. Could Snape and Peter really be talking about what she thought they were?

"I know them," Peter said quietly. "I know that they'd defend her. They would die for her, Severus. I don't want them to die!"

"Then you'll just have to make sure they're out the way when it happens then, won't you?"

"When is the attack?" Peter asked.

_An attack… an attack on Hogwarts? Or somewhere else? _Alice strained her ears to hear the next bit; it was crucial that she found out the date so she could warn someone. Someone – a girl, it sounded like – was going to be captured, or even killed.

But Snape must have been wary of anyone at all who was listening, because all she heard was a mumbled reply.

Alice couldn't believe that Peter was talking with Snape, and planning an attack. What did it mean? Was he really going to betray them?

_Maybe it's not him, _Alice thought hopefully, though his voice was unmistakable. _Maybe it's someone else Snape's talking to. A Slytherin, someone who I don't know…_

Daring to peek out from behind the corner, Alice caught sight of the two boys, hoping against hope that she had been mistaken. But it was Peter, all right, standing with his back to her, talking to Snape…

… who was looking straight at her.

Alice flew back around the corner in terror, but it was too late. She heard Snape's angry shout and two sets of running footsteps. She pulled out her wand and jumped out into the corridor, hand extended.

Snape and Peter stopped in their tracks. Snape had his wand out too, and was looking murderous. Peter was looking absolutely terrified.

"You nosy little bitch," Snape spat out. "Always meddling around in people's business… listening to conversations that don't concern you."

"Fuck you, Snape," Alice snapped back. "I heard your entire conversation. _Everything_. Don't think that you'll get away with it, whatever you're planning, because I'm going straight to Dumbledore."

Snape laughed bitterly. "Do you really think I'm going to let you run off to blab to that old fool?"

"I don't think you really have a choice," Alice retorted. "Now get out of my way." She brandished her wand.

Snape lifted his in response and pointed it straight at her face.

"What are you going to do?" Alice asked snidely. "Kill me? Because that's what it'll take to stop me talking. And unless you want a life sentence in Azkaban, I suggest you _move_!"

"I don't need to kill you," Snape said harshly. "But it'll be easy enough to stop you talking. _Obliviate_."

Alice tried to dodge out of the way, but it was too late. The spell hit her with enough force to send her reeling backwards and onto the floor, where she lay, unmoving… and completely forgetting what had just taken place.

xxxxxxxxxx

Alice sat up, blinking in the dim light of the Hogwarts halls. She felt slightly woozy. What was the matter? Was she ill?

And why had she been lying on the floor?

She looked up to see Peter Pettigrew's anxious face gazing down at her.

"Oh, hi Peter," Alice said tiredly. "What's going on?"

A line of sweat had formed on Peter's brow. "You – you fainted," he stammered out. "Remember? I met you in the corridor. You said you felt ill, and I was helping you to go to Madam Pomfrey – but then you fainted."

Alice frowned. She couldn't remember much before she had passed out. But that would explain why Peter was looking so nervous – he wouldn't know what to do when a girl fainted dead away on the floor.

"Oh, right," Alice said, mustering a smile. "Thanks, Peter. I do feel a bit tired, but I won't bother Madam Pomfrey. I'll just go and lie down in the dorm. Could you tell Professor Nightingale that I'm ill, and won't be in Muggle Studies today?"

Peter nodded, relief visible all over his face. Alice thought it quite sweet that he seemed to care so much about her well-being.

As she made her way back to the Ravenclaw dorm, she didn't see the menacing figure of Severus Snape, glaring at her from the shadows.

**A/N: Thanks for reading (if you read this far!) Next chapter should be posted in the next couple of weeks!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: The unlucky 13****th**** chapter! And it was unlucky, it's taken me a while to write ******** Chapter 14 is now finished and being beta-ed, so will be up within a couple of weeks! I am also working on a new story called Forgiveness, so check it out!**

Death Eater attacks were reported almost daily in the paper. Every day, just when Alice thought it couldn't possibly get any worse, some new, even more terrible event would unfold. Every day there was news of more death, more destruction, more people losing friends and family members and unable to do anything about it. Alice didn't think she'd ever felt so helpless.

In her heart, she knew there wasn't anything she could do. Trained Aurors were working against fighting the dark forces that were currently sweeping the wizarding world. What could she, an eighteen-year old girl schoolgirl, do? Nevertheless, it didn't stop her from feeling useless.

She made this comment to Lily and Holly one day. Winter was gradually beginning to fade into spring. The first few splashes of colour could be seen in the bright green leaves that were beginning to appear on the trees.

The three girls were lounging idly on the grass by the lake. Although it wasn't yet warm enough to be outside without cloaks on (which they were all wrapped snugly in) it was dry, and the grass was beginning to grow again.

Alice half-expected Lily to roll her eyes and tell her to stop being stupid, which is what her best friend would normally do. But when Lily didn't reply, Alice rolled over to stare at her.

The redhead was chewing her lip, a worried expression on her face. She wasn't looking at Alice.

"Lil?" Alice frowned. "You OK?"

Lily had been in a strange mood over the past couple of days. Alice couldn't understand it. She and James now seemed to be officially a "couple" – which James was practically walking on air about – and Alice would have presumed that Lily would be happy too. Instead, she had just become quieter and more withdrawn.

Was Lily regretting agreeing to go out with James already? Alice's frowned deepened. But James hadn't been going back to his old ways – in fact, he was more humble and sensible than Alice had ever seen him (well, to an extent – he was still a Marauder, after all). Rather than go around bragging to anyone who would listen that he had finally got Lily, he seemed content just to spend time with her, Alice, Holly and the rest of the Marauders. Alice knew he would be devastated if Lily left him.

"You're not going to break up with James, are you?" she asked in horror.

Lily burst into peals of laughter. "Of course not, you muppet! What on earth would make you think that?"

Alice shrugged, but then decided to take the plunge. "You've just been a bit – well, _moody _over the past few days," she said apologetically. "I just thought it might be something to do with James."

"It is – in a way," Lily hedged.

"Oh no." Alice groaned and propped herself up on her elbows. "I knew his good behaviour couldn't last. What's he done now? I'm going to bloody kill him."

"Alice!" Lily laughed. "Calm down! James hasn't done anything, I promise. No, it's more to do with – well, _me_, really."

Now Lily had both Alice _and _Holly staring at her curiously. Blushing slightly, she turned to gaze out over the lake, so she didn't have to meet either of their eyes.

"It might seem a bit silly, really," Lily started, twirling a blade of grass between her fingers. "What you just said then, Alice – it's sort of what I've been thinking lately."

Alice and Holly both frowned at each other, not understanding. "What's this got to do with you and James?" Alice asked.

"Alice, I'm Muggle-born," Lily stressed, abandoning her blade of grass to look into Alice's eyes. "I'm about a million times more likely to be attacked than you or James. Not that I'm worried about myself, of course. It's just… what if you, or James, was to be hurt or killed for being associated with me? You know what some of these pure-blood extremists are like."

"What shit!" Alice exclaimed loudly, making a bunch of first-years nearby jump. "We're all at risk, Lily, not just Muggle-borns. Any pure-blood who opposes them will probably be killed too. Anyway," she added wryly, "I'm the one in the most danger here. I'm the one with the homicidal uncle, remember?"

"Yeah," Holly chipped in. "Why waste time thinking about it? This is something that Remus and I have already discussed. Instead of worrying about what may or may not happen in the future, we've decided to focus on making the most of what we have now. You and James should just enjoy yourselves while you can."

Now it was Holly's turn to be stared at, and she blushed violently to the roots of her hair.

Alice was slightly amused. It was strange to hear Holly, the biggest dreamer and worrier of the three of them, speak so practically.

There was silence for a few minutes as all three girls stared off into the distance, contemplating on what Holly had said. In a bid to keep the atmosphere light, Alice decided to change the subject.

"Looking forward to your birthday, Holly?" she said brightly.

Holly was the second one of them to turn eighteen. Alice, the oldest, had already celebrated hers the previous month, on February 4th. She hadn't made a big fuss over it – birthdays had never really been a big thing for her. She had been happy just to spend the day with her friends. However, Holly was really excited about hers, and Alice and Lily both agreed that the blonde deserved a special day. Holly's birthday was this weekend, and much to all the girls' delight, it fell on a Hogsmeade day. The three of them planned to spend the day shopping until they dropped. The evening was going to be a surprise, though – Remus had told Holly that he and the Marauders had something special planned for the girls, which Alice was immediately wary about. Still, for once she kept her opinions to herself – she didn't want to spoil her friend's day.

Holly broke into a smile. "I can't wait," she said happily. "Especially the surprise Remus and the others have got planned. I wonder what it is!"

Alice and Lily exchanged glances at these words. Whatever the Marauders had planned, it was probably something that broke every rule in the book – and probably something illegal.

Alice chose not to reply; instead she got up, brushing grass off her robes.

"Where are you going?" Lily asked.

"I've just been thinking about what I can do to help," Alice replied, referring back to the conversation they were having before they had started talking about Holly's birthday. "I think there's something I can do. It's not much, but it's better than nothing."

"What is it?" Holly wrinkled her forehead at Alice.

"You're not going to do anything stupid, are you?" Lily said warily.

"Course not," Alice grinned. "I just need a word with Dumbledore, that's all. I'll catch up with you guys later, OK?"

Alice turned away and began making her way back to the castle. She was going to see Dumbledore, all right – months ago he said he was going to do something about looking for Cameron, but since then Alice had heard nothing from him on the subject. She wanted to talk to him and see if he had made any progress, and if there was anything that she could help with.

As she entered the school, Alice found herself face to face with the person she wanted to talk to. "Miss Tyler," Dumbledore greeted her with a twinkle in his eye.

Alice was slightly taken aback. Dumbledore couldn't have known that she was on her way to see him… could he? _Well, with Dumbledore, anything seems to be possible, _Alice reminded herself.

"Hello, Professor," Alice said, drawing herself up to her full height. Dumbledore looked at her questioningly.

Alice took a breath, unsure where to begin. She eventually decided to just come out with it. "Have you heard anything of my uncle?" she blurted out.

Dumbledore didn't reply, just gestured for her to follow him. The two of them began to walk steadily around the grounds.

"I haven't been able to make any contact with him," Dumbledore said hesitantly. "There have been many reported sightings, but whenever Ministry officials arrived at the scene, it was either a false alarm or he had vanished altogether. I have told the Ministry not to bother – this is rather a delicate situation, and I think it would be better for me to handle it myself."

"Why?" Alice asked. She knew that Dumbledore was powerful, but surely it would be better for the Ministry to go and capture him.

"I know Cameron," Dumbledore stated bluntly. "He went to Hogwarts for seven years. He was always a suspicious child, but never the sort of person I would have thought would turn to Dark magic. But Voldemort has corrupted even some of the sanest minds to date."

"So… you think Cameron's gone insane?" Alice asked sharply.

"Lord Voldemort uses techniques to get people to join him," Dumbledore said heavily. "Including the Unforgiveable curses… which can send people quite mad."

Alice's heart gave a jolt. A madman running loose in the streets, killing at will… "So you think… maybe Voldemort used an Unforgiveable on him? Or maybe he's being controlled by the Imperius?" Much as Alice wanted to believe it, didn't want to think of one of her family members as a willing murderer, she didn't think it would have taken much persuasion to get Cameron to join Voldemort. He had always been the black sheep of the family.

"I do not want to make assumptions," Dumbledore said seriously, turning to face Alice. "However, I can assure you that I am doing everything in my power to find him, Miss Tyler." The twinkle in his eye was gone. "Have a little faith. It might be sooner than you think."

Alice looked into Dumbledore's eyes and knew she could trust him. He would find Cameron Tyler and bring him to justice.

She just hoped it would be soon.

xxxxxxxxxx

"… HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR HOLLY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"

Alice took a bow as Holly giggled and Lily looked on with mild amusement. Alice had just met up with her two Gryffindor friends outside their portrait hole and had decided to caterwaul loudly at Holly.

"You have the worst singing voice I've ever heard," Lily said matter-of-factly, earning herself a friendly punch on the arm from Alice.

"It's the thought that counts," Alice said haughtily, before sticking her tongue out at Lily.

"You're right, Alice, and I'm very grateful," Holly spluttered. Alice grinned and presented Holly with a small, gift-wrapped package.

"Oh, thanks, Al!" Holly stopped sniggering and her eyes lit up at the present.

"You're welcome," Alice replied back as Holly tore into the present. It was a small silver rose on a thin silver chain.

"It's gorgeous, Alice!" Holly reached over to hug her friend hard.

"No problem," Alice said cheerfully. "Now, do you guys mind if we get some breakfast? I'm absolutely starving!"

"Greedy pig," Lily commented with a smirk, causing Alice to chase her all the way down the corridor.

Straight after breakfast everyone headed off for Hogsmeade. Alice, Lily and Holly spent the morning shopping until they dropped with Holly's birthday money. After lunch (which included lots and lots of cake) the three of them, stuffed to bursting, headed for the Three Broomsticks for a drink and a rest.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were already there, and the girls made a beeline for them.

"Hi, guys," James said, putting his arm around Lily. "Happy birthday, Holly!"

Holly smiled shyly at him in return, standing very close to Remus.

"So, are you three looking forward to tonight?" Peter asked, raising his eyebrows.

Alice narrowed her eyes as she looked at Peter. Something was tugging at the back of her mind, something to do with Peter… try as she might, she just couldn't remember what it was. _Can't be that important_, Alice told herself, although Peter did seem to be flushing under her accusing gaze…

"Definitely," Lily nodded enthusiastically, while Holly nodded so hard her head was in danger of falling off.

"Sure," Alice said casually. She wasn't as excited as her friends, but she tried to display some sort of enthusiasm. "What time do you want me to meet you all?"

"About midnight," Sirius said offhandedly. Alice's jaw dropped.

"_Midnight_?" she asked incredulously. "Sirius, I've got into more than enough trouble for being out of the dormitories after hours; I don't want to get into any more!"

"Relax, Tyler," Sirius grinned in that cocky way that Alice hated. "We won't get into trouble, I promise."

"Oh, I'm supposed to be reassured by your words?" Alice bit back. Sirius only grinned again, and Alice resisted the urge to punch him in the face.

As the four Marauders sauntered off, Sirius yelled back, "We'll see you later!"

Alice glanced around, hoping that nobody had heard him. Luckily, there were no other Hogwarts students in the pub.

"I don't like the sound of this," Alice muttered darkly, hunching over her Butterbeer.

"Oh, come on, Alice," Holly pleaded, her big blue eyes wide. "We won't get into any trouble, I'm sure of it. Anyway, it's my birthday!"

"Yeah…" Alice mustered a smile. She didn't want to rain on Holly's parade, after all. So she would grin and bear it, however much she hated the thought of sneaking around after hours.

xxxxxxxxxx

It was ten minutes after midnight, and Alice was not happy. She had been hovering outside the Gryffindor portrait hole, fully dressed, for a quarter of an hour, and there was no sign of Lily, Holly or any of the Marauders. Alice was seriously beginning to regret agreeing to come along. Only the thought that it was a special treat for Holly kept her from turning and heading straight back to her dorm. However, she did keep nervously glancing over her shoulder, paranoid that at any moment a teacher would jump out at her, ready to expel her.

The portrait hole swung open. "Thank God!" Alice exclaimed as her friends spilled out, giggling. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Sorry," James apologized, smirking. "We couldn't wake Peter, he was snoring so loudly he didn't hear us!"

Peter blushed dark red; Alice couldn't stop her face from relaxing into a smile. Holly looked so excited; her cheeks were flushed and she was grinning from ear to ear.

"And you don't have to worry about getting caught, Tyler," Sirius remarked, tossing something towards her. "You girls can hide under that."

Alice held up the heavy material: it was the Invisibility cloak.

"What about you?" Holly asked worriedly.

"We've got the map," James said offhandedly. "And anyway, we've been caught wandering the corridors after hours more times than we've had hot dinners. The worst they can do is put us in detention. But we wouldn't want you girls to get into trouble; this is supposed to be Holly's birthday surprise."

"How chivalrous," Alice said sarcastically, but grinned at James to show she was only teasing.

Once she, Lily and Holly were safely under the cloak, they proceeded to tiptoe down the dark corridors, with James and Sirius leading the way and Remus and Peter close behind. The girls brought up the rear.

"Now that we're here, can't you tell us where you're taking us?" Lily asked in a whisper.

"Nope," James tossed back over his shoulder. "It's a surprise, remember?"

"The only surprise we'll get is when we're caught by a teacher or worse, Dumbledore," Alice muttered under her breath. Her words were only meant for Lily and Holly to hear, but Sirius obviously had very sharp ears, because he let out a bark of laughter.

"Ye of little faith, Tyler," he said, turning to smirk over his shoulder, even though he couldn't possibly see Alice. Alice took advantage of her invisibility to give Sirius the finger, which made Lily and Holly snort with laughter.

The boys led Alice, Lily and Holly to the main entrance of the castle and then stood in a circle for a moment, examining the map.

"We're not going _outside_, are we?" Alice asked in horror.

"Sure we are," James grinned.

Alice crossed her arms, fuming at their recklessness as the four boys decided that the coast was clear and pushed open the heavy wooden doors for the three girls to exit.

Once outside, Alice began to relax slightly. It was a balmy night, quite warm for the middle of March. She took a deep breath of the night air and felt some of her tension begin to ease. The velvet night sky was sprinkled with stars, and the half-moon cast a spooky glow over the lake.

Alice's tension returned, however, when she realized where they were headed. "The Forbidden Forest?" she said incredulously.

"Shhh," Sirius said, turning and putting a finger to his lips. "We're not going _in _the Forest. Anyway, you're safe with us, don't worry."

"Oh, of course," Alice mumbled. "About as safe as being in a pit of rattlesnakes."

Sirius gave a wink in their general direction; Alice rolled her eyes.

The group made their way past the lake, toward the Forest. A little shiver ran through Alice, and Holly turned to her in concern.

"Are you OK?" Alice nodded.

"I'm fine Holly, don't worry."

As they neared the outskirts of the Forest, they drew nearer to the Whomping Willow. Alice glanced nervously at the branches swaying in the wind.

Lily was getting impatient. "Will you _please _tell us where we're going?" she asked in frustration.

"Yeah, and can we please try and avoid the Whomping Willow?" Alice asked. The tree had been planted in their first year at Hogwarts, and Alice couldn't for the life of her figure out why. It was good to ward off intruders, she supposed, but it was a danger to the innocent students.

"_Avoid _the Whomping Willow?" James chuckled. "Don't be stupid, Alice, that's where we're headed."

"WHAT?" Alice shrieked, the sound of her voice echoing throughout the silent grounds. Lily clamped a hand over her mouth in a panic. The seven companions glanced around, but nobody appeared.

"Idiot," James said, not unkindly. "Yes, that is where we're going."

"Can I please ask why? Or are you just trying to get us killed?" Alice asked sarcastically.

"No, and no," James replied with a wink. "Just relax, will you?"

"James, sometimes I cannot _believe _we are related," Alice grumbled as the group neared the enormous tree.

"Aww, come on, you know you love me really," James said cheekily. Alice couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, as much as a hole in the head!"

They cautiously approached the Whomping Willow, but there was only so far they could go before the branches began to wave at them threateningly. "Now what, smart arse?" Alice asked, eyeing the quivering branches with fear."

"Chuck us the cloak," James said importantly. Lily pulled the cloak off the three girls and handed it to James, who passed it over to Peter.

"You're up, Peter," Sirius whispered. Peter nodded, took a deep breath and threw the cloak over his head, causing him to instantly vanish.

"What's he going to do?" Holly had edged over to Remus and the two of them were holding hands.

"Shh," Remus said, putting a finger to his lips. "Just watch."

Alice, Lily and Holly watched in amazement as, all of a sudden, the branches of the Whomping Willow appeared to freeze in midair.

"How – how the hell did he do that?" Alice asked in wonder.

"It's a secret," Sirius said slyly, as Peter reappeared, pulling the cloak off his head. He looked rather disheveled and his face and hands were smeared with dirt.

"Oh, come on!" Lily begged, staring in awe at the Whomping Willow, which was now still as a statue. "You've got to tell us!"

"All in good time, my dear," James said, hooking his arm through Lily's. Lily glared at him in mock fury. "OK, OK!" James laughed. "I'll tell you this much: there's a secret passageway through this tree that leads to Hogsmeade." He pointed in the direction in which Peter had vanished, and for the first time Alice noticed a small hole between the roots and the ground, just big enough to crawl through.

"Ladies first," Sirius said, sweeping his arm in a grand gesture. Holly giggled and, getting on her hands and knees, wriggled into the hole, with Lily in hot pursuit.

Alice stuck her nose in the air, and, ignoring Sirius, followed her friends. It was dank and cold underground, and she shivered more than once, though from fear or the slowly dropping temperature she didn't know.

It was dark in the tunnel, even with wands, and Alice could barely even see Lily walking in front of her.

"I can see light!" Holly said excitedly after a few minutes. Squinting ahead, Alice could vaguely make out a dim light.

Holly broke into a run and, upon reaching the end of the passageway, suddenly let out a squeal. "What?" Alice asked in a panic.

Lily began to run, too, and when she had reached Holly, also let out a gasp. "What the bloody hell is wrong?" Alice asked urgently. She sprinted along the passageway and joined her two friends at the entrance to the room to which the tunnel had led. When she saw where they were, she let out a little shriek of her own.

They were in the Shrieking Shack, but not the Shrieking Shack as Alice knew it. She had never been in there before, but had heard from various students that it was haunted, and that it had got its name from the moans and wails that emanated from inside at night time. However, this Shrieking Shack was warm and inviting. Candles were lit everywhere, bathing the room in a welcoming glow. Banners and streamers were all over the place, enchanted to float in the air by themselves. A table in the middle of the room was groaning under the weight of all the food, and in the centre was a huge birthday cake, proclaiming the words, "Happy birthday Holly!"

Holly was at a loss for words. Remus stepped up beside her and squeezed her hand. "Happy birthday, Holly," he repeated.

"I can't believe you guys did this," Lily said in shock, turning to James, Sirius and Peter, who were lounging against the wall with grins on their faces.

"Thanks!" James said, looking injured. "You mean you didn't think we had it in us to do something nice?"

Lily shoved him good-naturedly. "I just mean I can't believe you went to all this trouble."

"Believe it," said Sirius with a smile.

Alice couldn't seem to find any words either. Swallowing hard, she turned to the boys. "I thought this place was supposed to be haunted," she said accusingly.

"Not tonight it isn't," James said airily, winking at Sirius.

"What's that supposed to –" Alice began suspiciously, but she was interrupted by Holly letting out another squeal of delight and throwing her arms around Remus. "Thank you!" they heard a muffled voice exclaim.

"Well, actually, a surprise party was Sirius's idea," Remus admitted.

Alice turned in shock to Sirius.

"See, Tyler," Sirius said, sounding smug. "I do have it in me to be a decent bloke, you know."

"I never said you weren't a decent bloke," Alice retorted. "You're just a little too cocky and arrogant for my liking."

Sirius looked hurt, and opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Lily clearing her throat.

"Guys, this is Holly's birthday," she said meaningfully. "Let's save the bitching for another time, OK?"

Alice and Sirius nodded wordlessly.

"Good," Peter spoke up. "Now let's eat, I'm starving!"

The others broke into laughter and reached for the food. As she went to fill her plate, Alice tried to stand as far away from Sirius as she could. _Let's just face it, _she thought with a sigh, _Sirius Black and I are never going to get along. We just rub each other up the wrong way._

But even she couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt at the injured expression that had been on Sirius's face that night.

**A/N: Liked? Hated? Feedback appreciated!**


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Almost a year since my last update, which is terrible, I know. Check out my profile page, which will explain why it's taken so long. THIS STORY HAS NOT BEEN ABANDONED, I promise. :)

Alice's alarm clock went off the next morning with enough force, it seemed, to wake the dead. Groaning, Alice rolled over to turn it off. It felt like she had had only ten minutes' sleep.

Mind you, it couldn't have been much more than that, Alice reflected as she rolled over. The seven of them had stayed up until almost three in the morning, talking, laughing and eating. James and Sirius had sneaked out under the Cloak and came back with some bottles of Firewhisky. A horrified Alice had refused to drink any, Lily and Holly had had a few sips and agreed that it was disgusting, but the boys had drank four bottles between them. A little smirk crossed Alice's face as she thought of the raging hangovers that they were bound to have this morning.

"At least it's a Sunday," Alice muttered to herself, turning to climb out of bed. "Why did I leave that stupid alarm clock on anyway? Weekends are for resting." As she turned over, she almost fell off the bed in surprise. Belinda was awake, fully dressed and standing over her bed with a sickly-sweet expression on her face.

Alice heaved a great sigh. "And what do you want?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what happened with David," Belinda said in a disgustingly syrupy voice.

Alice stared at her. "What?"

"I want to apologise," Belinda said, her tone hardening slightly. "I obviously made you really angry by kissing David, and I'm sorry."

Alice could not believe Belinda's nerve. Who the hell did she think she was? The silly little smile on her face only convinced Alice that she was not sorry at all. She was treating it all as if it was a big joke.

"Yes, you did make me angry, but I'm not the person you should be apologising to," Alice said coldly, throwing back the covers and swinging her legs off the bed. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Listen!" Belinda pleaded, grabbing Alice's arm. Alice glared at her for a second until she spoke.

"I only kissed David because I was angry with you," Belinda started. Alice gave a scornful laugh.

"So why not do something to me, instead of to my best friend?"

"Because I knew that would be the thing that hurt you the most, if one of your friends was hurt!" Belinda insisted, her eyes wide.

"Oh, well done," Alice said snappishly. "Yeah, that's great to know that you're such a spiteful little bitch that you could hurt Lily, who is one of the nicest people in the world, just to provoke me!"

"I know I shouldn't have done it, but it doesn't change the fact that David and I... we're in love. That wasn't how I planned it to turn out, but it has!"

There was a hint of smugness in Belinda's voice that Alice wanted to curse into oblivion. She didn't know why Belinda was bragging about it - David was a silly, weak-willed little boy, in her opinion.

"Well, you've actually done Lily a favour to be honest," Alice retorted. "She's with James now, who is a hell of a lot better than that snivelling little weasel."

"Exactly!" Belinda cried. "And I was just hoping that maybe... you and Lily could forgive me?" she finished in a pleading tone.

Alice looked at Belinda for several minutes. Her blatant cheek had shocked Alice, and the urge to slap her in the face almost overpowering. Instead, she shook off Belinda's arm and got out of bed, gathering up her toothbrush and towel to go into the bathroom. She could feel Belinda's eyes watching her as she crossed the room. It was only when she had reached the door that she turned to Belinda and spoke.

"You can go fuck yourself."

Shock and anger registered across Belinda's face as Alice slammed the door behind her.

Alice stayed in the bathroom until she was sure Belinda and her friends had gone; she didn't want to run the risk of running into them. The Ravenclaw tower was feeling more and more like a prison. "A mental prison, stuck with a bunch of lunatic girls," Alice muttered, peering through a crack in the door. Seeing that the coast was clear, she slipped out and ran down the stairs to breakfast.

Lily, Holly and the Marauders were already sat at the Gryffindor table. Alice ran to join them, catching the annoyed look on Belinda's face. Alice smirked; she knew Belinda hated the fact that Alice preferred to sit with the Gryffindors.

"And how are we feeling this morning?" Alice teased as she slid into a seat next to Holly.

"Piss off," muttered James, who looked the roughest of all. His hair was even more untidy than usual, and great dark circles were under his eyes. Alice laughed as she helped herself to bacon, eggs and toast.

"It was a good night though, wasn't it?" Lily said with a grin. Alice couldn't help but agree. It had been a good night, and such a nice surprise for Holly's birthday. The atmosphere between her and Sirius had been a little frosty, but she would not have spoilt her friend's night for anything.

"Any plans for today?" Lily asked the room in general.

"Sleep," said James, at the same time as Alice said, "Homework."

Sirius laughed. "Easy to see what people's priorities are!"

"I didn't get any done yesterday, because of Holly's birthday," Alice protested. "I've got two essays, one for Muggle Studies and one for Arithmancy, and that's the hardest subject!"

"Muggle Studies is easy," Lily reasoned. "What's the essay on?"

"Oh, it's all about transport," Alice said, screwing her face up. "You know... aeroplanes, cars, the Underground... whatever that is..."

Lily spent the rest of breakfast explaining Muggle transport to Alice and by the time it was finished, Alice thought she had enough for her essay and retreated back to the common room. She spent a good few hours finishing off her essays before deciding to head back out onto the grounds to see if she could find the others.

Halfway down the stairs, she saw Lucius Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins loitering at the bottom. Lucius was arm-in-arm with Narcissa Black, Sirius' cousin. So, they're together now, Alice thought grimly. Bad eggs have to stick together, I suppose.

Snape was amongst them, and as Alice approached he turned to glare at her. As their eyes met, an image flashed across Alice's mind for a split second; Snape brandishing his wand at her, his mouth moving to cast a spell, but she could not hear what the spell was...

It was gone as quickly as it had came. Blinking, Alice stopped a couple of steps away from them. What had that been? Was it just her imagination, or had she just had a premonition?

Snape's beetle-black eyes were boring into her. Alice realised that the rest of the group was staring at her with curiosity and disgust. Holding her head high, Alice walked past them, but not before she heard Narcissa mutter, "Filthy little blood traitor."

Alice whirled around, brandishing her wand at once. "What the hell did you just say to me?" she snapped.

Narcissa's wand was out, too; the other Slytherins were standing behind her, ready to back her up. Alice realised she was outnumbered six to one, but still she didn't lower her wand. If she was going to go down, she would go down fighting.

"I called you a filthy little blood traitor, because that's what you are," sneered Narcissa. "You and Potter, associating with the kind of Mudblood scum that you do..."

Mudblood scum. Alice's hand clenched on her wand, what would be the best spell to use to cause as much damage as possible...?

Lucius stepped between them. Alice aimed her wand directly at his throat and he scowled.

"Put that away; you'll never beat all of us," he said coolly.

"I'll give it a damn good go," retorted Alice, refusing to back down. Narcissa gave a hiss like a cat and attempted to push Lucius out of the way, pointing her own wand at Alice beneath Lucius' arm.

Lucius glared at Alice. "Walk away now," he said quietly. "And we will let you go."

Alice gave a mirthless little laugh.

"You'll 'let' me go? Who the hell do you think you are, Lucius Malfoy? You think I'm afraid of you?" Alice was sounding braver than she felt - she knew that Lucius was involved in the Dark Arts, but she couldn't just let him walk all over her. "You don't have the authority to order me anywhere, especially not after your stupid little girlfriend insulted me -"

Alice jumped out of the way as Narcissa aimed a hex at her; Lucius and the others had their wands out now.

"What's this all about?"

Alice's heart gave a jump; Lily, Holly and the Marauders were all walking towards them. Sirius was the one who had spoken. When he realised the situation - Alice alone, looking furious, and all the Slytherins with their wands drawn - his face darkened.

Lily, Holly and James took out their own wands immediately. "What's your problem, Malfoy?" James snapped at Lucius.

"Tyler here insulted Narcissa," Lucius snapped.

"She called me a blood traitor," Alice retorted. "And she is stupid, just like you and the rest of you pure-blood supremecists, Malfoy."

Holly's expression was nervous, but defiant. Lily's cat-like green eyes were fixed on Snape, narrowed in anger. Snape's wand was pointed at Alice, but his eyes were on Lily, not looking angry, but looking almost... ashamed.

"But of course," Narcissa sneered, switching her wand from Alice to Sirius. "My dear cousin here is also a blood traitor... and the filthiest one of all."

Instead of being offended, Sirius laughed.

"Me, filthy? That's a laugh, Cissy. If you want to see filthy, look no further than Snivellus here..." He gestured towards Snape, "Or maybe your sister Bellatrix. What's she been doing, lately? Helping You Know Who, maybe? I heard rumours that she's a Death Eater now..."

"I wouldn't tell you if she had," snapped Narcissa.

"Right... because I'm a blood traitor," Sirius said with a bitter smile. "Well, if being a pure-blood means being related to scum like you, then I'd rather be Muggle-born, to be honest."

There was a flash of red light; Narcissa had sent a hex at Sirius, which he blocked immediately. Taking this chance, Alice shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!" which sent Narcissa keeling over, stiff as a board. A furious Lucius Malfoy turned his wand on Alice, but James jumped in front of her immediately.

All of a sudden, hexes were flying everywhere as the Slytherins battled against Alice and the Gryffindors. Lily managed to get one of the Slytherins, Nott, with a well-aimed Jelly-Legs Jinx. Spells were bouncing and ricocheting off the walls, it was madness. Praying that a teacher wouldn't come along and catch them, Alice dodged yet another jet of light just in time to see Snape turn his wand on James. "NO!" Alice shouted, pushing Remus out of the way as Snape cried, "Sectumsempra!"

Immediately, gashes appeared all over James' face and body, blood pouring out onto the floor. Lily gave a scream of horror and dashed over to James' side. James staggered to his knees, his wand falling out of his hand and to the floor with a clatter.

Sirius whirled on Snape, rage etched into every inch of his face, but before he could do anything, the Slytherins, seeing what Snape had done, turned tail and dashed off. Alice heard Narcissa's cold laughter as they ran down the corridor. She, Peter and Holly all sent hexes after them, but the Slytherins were too quick and rounded a corner before any of the spells made contact.

Remus and Sirius were crouched next to James, attempting to stem the flow of blood. "He needs the hospital wing, now," Alice said, trying to sound calm but tears threatening to spill from her eyes at the sight of her cousin bleeding painfully all over the floor.

Sirius and Remus hoisted James up, one of his arms over each of their shoulders. "Lily?" Alice asked uncertainly.

Lily was staring down the corridor after the Slytherins, white-faced, not seeming to hear Alice. "How - how could he...?" she said weakly, looking as though she might faint.

"Lily!" Alice said loudly, making Lily jump. "James needs the hospital, are you coming?"

"Oh... yeah, of course," Lily said, getting to her feet, her expression hardening. "Snape is going to pay for this," she spat through gritted teeth, as the three girls began walking down the corridor behind James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. "I can't believe he would do something like that..."

"Really?" Holly asked skeptically. "I mean, I know it's a bit extreme, but... Lily, you know better than anyone how much James and Snape hate each other."

Lily didn't answer, but Alice knew full well why Lily was so shocked and dismayed by what had happened.

Up until their fifth year, Lily and Snape had been good friends. Alice had always been stumped by this, she had always thought Snape a creepy little weirdo. But Lily had liked him, and Alice had been forced to accept it. Lily had always made sure to see Snape and Alice seperately, as she knew they didn't really like each other. That was partly the reason why Lily had hated James for so long - James and Sirius had a personal vendetta against Snape, and had bullied him regularly over the years. In their fifth year, however, James had been doing his usual act of taunting Snape, and when Lily intervened Snape had called her a Mudblood. Their friendship had ended that same night, and Lily had barely mentioned Snape's name since - but she had never joined in with the people who picked on him either.

Maybe now, Alice thought, Lily would realise what a nasty piece of work Snape really was, and see that befriending him all those years had been a big mistake.

They had reached the hospital wing; Madam Pomfrey let out a shriek when she saw James, his head slumping onto his chest. "What happened here?" she asked urgently, as Sirius and Remus settled James into a hospital bed.

"Snape did it, Severus Snape," Holly answered immediately.

"With a weapon?" Madam Pomfrey asked in horror.

"No, not a weapon." Alice spoke this time. "It was a curse... but not one I've ever heard of before..."

Alice was sure the "Sectumsempra" curse had never been mentioned in Defence Against the Dark Arts; she would have remembered it if it had, something that horrible... racking her brains, she tried to think where Snape could have read it, but came up with nothing.

"Probably in some Dark Arts book," Lily said dully, reaching out to stroke some of James' hair away from his forehead as Madam Pomfrey attended to him.

"Yeah," Sirius said bitterly. "That nasty little git is probably up to his eyeballs in Dark Arts stuff by now, you saw who he was hanging around with..."

Alice nodded firmly in agreement. "Someone really ought to report this to Professor Slughorn... and to Dumbledore. That wasn't a silly little hex... James could have died."

"Yes, of course," Madam Pomfrey said immediately. "Mr Lupin, if you would be so kind..."

Remus nodded and left at once.

"Is he going to be OK?" Sirius asked anxiously.

"He will be fine," Madam Pomfrey answered, as one by one she touched James' injuries with her wand, healing them as she went. "He's lost a lot of blood, so he'll need to stay in here overnight... now will you all please leave so I can finish off here!" she finished sternly, as the five of them crowded around the bed.

Annoyed, Alice, Lily, Holly, Sirius and Peter left the hospital wing, all talking about how they were going to murder Snape when they saw him next. "With any luck, he'll be expelled," Alice muttered viciously to Lily.

Lily was looking white with shock again, and the three girls hung back as Sirius and Peter walked on, talking loudly.

"I know I'm being stupid," she said, taking a deep, shaky breath, "but I never thought Snape would do something like that."

Alice opened her mouth to speak, but Lily silenced her with a hand.

"I know he's not whiter than white, but I was friends with him for years... best friends, even. I knew him before we came to Hogwarts, you know... he was the first one to tell me who I really was... a witch.

"And then, when he called me a Mudblood... I'd heard him say it before, but I never thought he'd say it to me. I realised then he couldn't be trusted, but I still never thought... I mean, I thought he might still care for me a little bit, we used to tell each other everything!"

"Obviously not, to go and attack your boyfriend like that," Alice said angrily, unable to hold her tongue any more.

"Yes, you're right," Lily agreed. "I just can't believe how much he's changed."

"It just goes to show that you can never really trust anyone," Holly said quietly. "Not even the people you think are your friends. You never know when someone might turn..."

The three girls looked at one another uneasily, and then burst out laughing.

"I think we're safe," Alice said, forcing a grin. "You two are Muggle-born and I'm a blood traitor, I don't think You Know Who will be queuing up to get us to join him."

Still chuckling, the three of them started to walk down to the Great Hall for dinner, Lily making plans to visit James that evening. But what Holly had said was still stuck in Alice's mind... You can never really trust anyone... you never know when someone might turn...

Holly was right, Alice thought gloomily. You can't trust some people. The only question was, who was going to betray them next?

A/N: Liked or not? Chapter 15 up soon! 


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Yay! My beta reader got the chapter back to me early! The characters belong to J. K. Rowling, not me. Enjoy, guys!

xxxxxxx

It was a few days after the duel with the Slytherins, and James was out of the hospital wing. Although Snape had been severely reprimanded for the curse, he had not been expelled, much to the disgust of Alice, Lily and Sirius. Dumbledore had also called them all into his office and expressively told them that duelling was not permitted at Hogwarts in any way and that they were not to seek revenge on Snape under any circumstances, or he would deal with them very severely. The only good thing to come out of it was that Snape was being forced to serve a months' worth of detentions and forbidden to ever use the curse again.

"But if I ever get him on my own..." Sirius growled under his breath in Transfiguaration.

"Pay attention, Mr Black!" McGonagall shouted, making Sirius jump. Sirius, James, Remus and Peter were sat at the back of the room, with Alice, Lily and Holly in front. Alice jumped too, feeling guilty even though she hadn't done anything.

She wasn't looking forward to the next lesson, which was Herbology, one of the few classes she had with the Slytherins, and she would also be alone with Belinda and her friends. Heaving a great sigh, she waved her wand at her desk, which they were practising vanishing and re-appearing again. The desk immediately disappeared.

James, Sirius and Lily had also successfully vanished and re-appeared their desks. Remus and Holly were both concentrating very hard, and Peter had an expression of sheer desperation on his face. His desk had done nothing in the past half hour.

Holly let out a squeal of triumph as her desk disappeared, but her smile turned to a frown when she made it re-appear. Her Transfiguration book, which had been on the desk, was nowhere to be seen. Alice smiled to herself and turned back to the front of the class.

All of a sudden, she felt something sharp hit her in the back of the neck. Turning, she just had time to see a little white blur zoom towards her and jab her in the nose.

Startled, her nose stinging, Alice almost fell out of her chair. Reeling backwards, she realised that what had poked her in the face was a tiny paper aeroplane.

Looking around, Alice saw that Lily and Holly were enduring the same torment. Lily was brushing the aeroplane away impatiently, concentrating on her work. Holly, however, had crawled under the desk to look for her book, and was stifling giggles as the paper plane attacked her face and neck.

In the background, Alice could see Sirius with his wand out. Obviously bored of the lesson, he had charmed the paper planes to fly at the three girls.

Their eyes met and Sirius smirked. Alice gave him a cold stare that turned into a look of horror as the aeroplane zoomed towards her eyes.

Squeezing them shut, Alice felt the plane prod her violently in the eyelid. Squinting, she flapped her arms around, eventually managing to grasp the plane in her fist. Dragging the frantically struggling piece of paper towards her, Alice squashed in into a ball and chucked it at Sirius.

When she opened her eyes again, McGonagall was standing over her, scowling.

"If you want to act like five-year olds," McGonagall said icily. "I will be happy to let you go and join the first-years in their lessons."

Alice bent her head, embarrassed. The whole class was staring at them, sniggering.

"You will be leaving Hogwarts in less than four months," McGonagall's stern voice continued. "How do you think you will cope out in the real world if you continue to act like children?"

Alice could not see the others, but she knew her face was bright red. When none of them answered, McGonagall returned to the front of the classroom.

Alice glanced over at Sirius, who looked as if he didn't have a care in the world. Alice had a sudden urge to wipe the nonchalant expression off his face.

Luckily, there was only ten minutes left of the class. When the bell rang, Alice packed up her bag and stalked out of the room without even looking at Sirius. Lily, Holly and James all ran to keep up with her.

"It was only a joke, Alice," said James, in what he probably thought was a soothing voice.

"McGonagall's right, he ought to be in classes with the first-years," Alice snapped.

"Oh, come on, Al," Lily pleaded. "It was annoying, but you should be used to it now... it is Sirius, after all..."

Alice stopped in her tracks and turned to glare at her friends. "Let's just face facts, shall we? I think Sirius Black is an annoying, arrogant git, and I'm fed up with everyone defending him all the time. He's constantly getting me in trouble and putting black marks on my record, just for his own amusement. You guys might as well get used to the fact that Sirius and I are never going to get along. It's the worst case of personality clashing ever. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a lovely Herbology lesson to attend with a load of irate Slytherins and a group of bitches from my dorm. I'm sure that will improve my mood."

She stormed off, leaving Lily, Holly and James staring after her worriedly.

xxxxxxxxx

Herbology did little to improve Alice's foul moods, what with the evil looks and jibes tossed her way from the Slytherins and Belinda. Alice didn't speak to anyone all lesson and when the bell rang for lunch, for the first time in years Alice sat at the Ravenclaw table with Emmeline Vance.

Arithmancy was Alice's last class of the day. Luckily, none of her friends took this class, just a handful of Ravenclaw boys and one Hufflepuff. When the lesson was over, Alice headed straight for the Ravenclaw tower, intending to have a long, hot shower and go straight to bed. But her plans were ruined when someone grabbed her from behind, putting a hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream, and began to drag her along the corridor.

Alice's first, horrified thought was that it was Lucius Malfoy or one of the other Slytherins. She began to struggle at once, attempting to bite the person's fingers, but they were too strong for her. Alice was pulled down the corridor, around a corner and into an empty classroom.

Or what she thought was empty. When she took a proper look, she realised that Sirius was standing in the middle of the room, his expression mutinous.

"Is this another one of your stupid jokes?" Alice snapped. "Because let me tell you now, I am not in the mood -"

"It's not," Sirius cut her off, pointing. "It's them."

Alice turned to see Lily, Holly, James, Remus and Peter stood in the doorway, all looking stern.

"What is going on?" Alice demanded.

Lily stepped forward, obviously the official spokesperson.

"We have decided," she said stubbornly, "that we are sick and tired of your arguing, and it's time to put a stop to it."

Alice opened her mouth to speak, but Lily cut her off.

"It's putting a strain on all of us and affecting our friendship," she stressed.

"So we have decided that we are going to lock you both in here to give you the chance to talk," Holly chimed in, her tone nervous but defiant.

"But -"

"And we are not letting you out until you agree to be friends," Peter said.

"Guys -"

"Have fun!" Lily finished brightly.

James, grinning, slammed the door shut just as Alice sprinted across the room towards them. Alice grabbed the handle and pushed at the door with all her might, but to no avail. It was locked.

Letting out a growl of frustration, Alice took out her wand. "Alohomora!" she cried, and rattle the handle again. Nothing.

Behind her, Sirius let out a short laugh. "You don't think they would have thought of that? I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart," he added as if to himself but speaking so that Alice could hear him.

"Well, I don't see you coming up with any suggestions," Alice retorted.

"That's because there aren't any," replied Sirius. "They're not stupid, you know - they're not going to let us out of this room until they're good and ready."

Ignoring him, Alice gave the door a vicious kick, but succeeded only in hurting her foot. Biting her lip to stop from crying out in pain, Alice heard Sirius begin to laugh again behind her.

Alice whirled around. "Shut up, Sirius," she spat.

"Oh, very witty, Tyler," Sirius said, still laughing. "That tongue of yours can be so cutting at times."

Alice narrowed her eyes. "You have no idea how much I wand to punch you in the face right now," she said in a low, dangerous voice.

Sirius opened his mouth to answer, but Alice turned her back on him and flounced over to the other side of the room, her arms crossed.

"Not going to talk, Tyler?"

Alice didn't reply. She took a seat in one of the empty chairs, determined not to say a single word to Sirius until the others came back to let them out. Then, she was going to strangle them all, one by one, for doing this to her.

"Alice," Sirius said, and Alice gave a slight start. It was the first time she had ever heard Sirius use her first name; he usually just addressed her as "Tyler".

"What?" she said, more forcefully than she had meant to.

"Well, don't you think they've got a point?"

"Nope," Alice replied jauntily.

"Oh, come on!" said Sirius angrily. "Of course they do; all we ever do is argue."

"Yes, I know," Alice agreed, still refusing to look at him. "I just don't see the problem here, that's all."

"The problem is, we're making life difficult for our best friends!"

"Well, then, they'll just have to hang out with us seperately, won't they?" Alice said firmly.

"Oh, don't be so thick," Sirius snapped. "How is that ever going to work? Lily and James are dating, so are Remus and Holly! They're not going to want to spend their lives switching between hanging around with you and then me!"

Alice did not answer.

"Come on, Tyler, we may as well talk things out while we're stuck here," Sirius said reasonably.

"Talk then," Alice said, still not moving.

She couldn't see Sirius's face, but she knew he would be seething at her attitude.  
Good, she thought. She wasn't going to make this easy for him. Let him see what it was like to be deliberately annoyed for a change.

"Well, we need to come up with some sort of solution to this problem."

"I've got a solution," Alice butted in. "Stop being so immature."

"We're going to have to compromise, Tyler," Sirius said, angry again. "Which means you have also got to stop being such a stuck-up goody two shoes."

Alice spun around. "I am not stuck-up," she ground out between her teeth. "Excuse me if I want to do well in life and not get in trouble at school."

"You can be intelligent and still bend the rules," Sirius pointed out. "Look at me and James."

"So modest," Alice said sarcastically.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about," Sirius snapped, irritated. "You always have to come out with a bitchy comment, don't you?"

"Well, someone has to bring you down a peg or two," Alice retorted. "You really have got a high opinion of yourself, haven't you? You know, not everyone worships the ground you walk on, Black."

For a brief moment, Sirius looked stung. Then his expression turned blank.

"Fine," he said, turning away from her. "Merlin, I should have known that you're such a stubborn cow that you won't even consider -"

"Stubborn cow!" Alice shrieked. "Sirius Black, how dare you!"

"Well, nobody else is telling it like it is!" Sirius shouted. "You're an uptight, prissy bitch with no sense of humour whatsoever!"

"And you're a cocky, big-headed, immature little git!" Alice spat back.  
Sirius turned around to face her, looking as though he was counting to ten to suppress his rage. Alice felt slightly smug at the thought that she had pissed him off so much.

"Whatever," Sirius muttered eventually. "This isn't going to work, is it?"

"Nope," Alice said cheerfully.

Sirius gave her a disgusted look and retreated to the other side of the room, sitting down in one of the unoccupied chairs with an aggressive thud.

Feeling triumphant, Alice sat down in another chair, her back to Sirius. Once she had sat down, however, and was left alone with her thoughts, she began to feel a little guilty.

To be honest, she didn't know why she was being such a bitch to Sirius. Part of what she had said was true - she wanted to annoy him like he annoyed her. But, and she hated herself for admitting it, he wasn't so bad really. Sometimes his pranks could be quite funny. Not the ones he played on her, of course, but other ones... and James was just as bad as him most of the time, and she didn't get so angry at James...

But James is my cousin, she thought reasonably. We're family, we have to get along.

Not really, another little voice argued back. What about Uncle Cameron?

Alice pushed that thought aside. She didn't want to think about him right now.

And what Sirius had said was true. She was making life difficult for her best friends. The guilt intensified as she thought about Lily and Holly. James and Remus were their boyfriends; they weren't going to stop seeing them! And if she and Sirius couldn't even be around each other, then eventually... Lily and Holly would stop seeing her instead. Her stomach curled miserably as she thought of life without Lily and Holly. She had Emmeline, of course, but their friendship was nothing compared to what she had with the Gryffindors... her stomach lurched.

Making up her mind, Alice turned around, intending to try and make things up with Sirius. But before she could say anything, she heard him speak.

"It's because of your uncle, isn't it?"

Alice frowned. What the hell was he talking about? "What's about my uncle?" she asked, trying to keep her tone neutral.

"Why you're so desperate to prove yourself to the teachers this year," Sirius replied. "It's because of him, isn't it? It's because you don't want people to think you and him are in any way similar, do you? That's why you're sucking up and being on your best behaviour... you don't want to be accused of taking after him!"

All thoughts of offering Sirius the olive branch flew straight out of Alice's head. She was fuming. Who did Sirius Black think he was, acting as if he knew her so well? Again she ignored the voice in her head that was telling her, over and over, he's right, he's right, he's right...

"Well, you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" Alice said nastily. "I mean, look at your family... they say the apple never falls far from the tree, does it?"

She knew straight away she had said something terrible; Sirius jumped out of his seat, turned and began to stride towards her, pulling out his wand. Alice grabbed her own and glared at Sirius, refusing to back down. the two stood facing each other, wands pointed, both with expressions of fury on their face.

"No wonder nobody in your dorm can stand you," Sirius said coldly, making Alice's blood boil.

"We're back! OK guys, how's everything..." the door swung open and Lily's bright voice trailed off as she saw the two stood facing each other, eye-to-eye, wands out, both with expressions of fury on their face.

Sirius was the first to move; he turned and stormed out of the room, not saying a word to Lily. Alice swung her bag onto her shoulder, shaking with anger, and headed for the door too. She only paused to say, "Nice try, Lily," as she left, her best friend looking astonished and worried.  
xxxxxxx

The next couple of days were strained and awkward. Alice and Sirius spoke normally with the other five, but only spoke to each other when forced to, and conversation was cool and polite. Alice wondered if things would ever be the same again. Lily and the others had wisely not mentioned how their plan had backfired, and Alice was glad for it. She didn't want to talk about the incident ever again.

There was hardly any time to relax, anyway. Their NEWTs were drawing nearer and nearer, and even the teachers seemed to be getting stressed. Homework was being piled on them with no sign of stopping. It just so happened that Alice was on her way to her common room after dinner to get some of her Defence Against the Dark Arts essay finished, when she heard raised voices coming from a classroom.

Frowning, Alice scurried over to the door. She thought she had recognised the voices; and when she knelt down with her eye against the keyhole she realised she had been right. It was Sirius and Remus.

Remus was sat on one of the chairs, his face buried in his hands. Sirius was patting him on the back comfortingly.

"I know she'll hate me if she finds out," Remus was saying in a muffled voice.

"She won't," Sirius reassured him. "Don't be so stupid."

"I'm not!" Remus said angrily. "You saw how everyone reacted when I first came to Hogwarts - parents - teachers - only Dumbledore trusted me enough to let me stay."

"So did we," Sirius said sharply. "Me, Prongs and Wormtail. We all trusted you. We stayed your friends. We helped you."

Remus nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you did. But it's different with Holly... she'll hate me for hiding it from her. She'll break up with me."

"No she won't," Sirius said stubbornly. "She won't care, she won't judge you, that's not the kind of person she is..."

Alice had been holding her breath, leaning crouched against the doorframe, but all of a sudden she slipped and banged her elbow on the door. Sirius and Remus both looked up at the sound, fearful expressions on their faces. Sirius started towards the door.

Her heart in her mouth, Alice jumped to her feet, holding her stinging elbow, and sprinted off down the corridor as fast as her legs would carry her. She reached the Ravenclaw tower in record time. Panting out the password and dashing into the common room, she plonked herself down onto one of the chairs, breathing heavily, her mind spinning with what she had just heard...

What in the name of Merlin had all that been about?

xxxxxxx

A/N: Woohoo! Reviews appreciated, positive or negative, I don't mind! Next chapter is complete and will be up soon. 


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Chapter 16 for you guys! Enjoy!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the days went past, Alice continued to rack her brains, trying to think of something, _anything _that Remus would be ashamed enough of that he would hide it from Holly. A family secret? An incurable disease? A history with the Dark Arts? Try as she might, she couldn't think of anything that would make Holly want to break up with him. Holly was a friendly, sweet girl, innocent to the point of naive, who would never judge anyone on their past, no matter what they had done. It was who the person was _now _that counted to Holly, and nobody could deny that Remus was one of the nicest guys in the school, if not as popular as James and Sirius.

Sometimes she would stop what she was doing and stare at Remus with narrowed eyes, almost as if she was trying to see into his mind. Maybe he would notice her looking and give something away... some sign of embarrassment or guilt... but he barely seemed to notice her. In fact, he only had eyes for Holly, and the two of them seemed as happy as ever.

Alice had learnt now to leave well enough alone when it came to other people's relationships, so she decided not to mention anything to Holly. Remus would tell her when he was good and ready; he had sounded close to cracking during the conversation with Sirius. He couldn't keep a huge secret from Holly for too long.

Nevertheless, Alice was still curious, and she didn't want Holly to end up getting hurt, so she made up her mind to talk to Sirius as soon as she could get him alone. Maybe once she knew what Remus had been talking about, she could relax a little, and if it was something _really _bad, persuade him to tell Holly as soon as possible.

However, getting Sirius alone, let alone dragging him into a conversation, was going to be difficult, as he was avoiding her as much as he could these days. Alice couldn't really blame him; she had been doing the same thing ever since their row in the classroom. They had both said some pretty nasty things to each other, and Alice wasn't sure if he was going to forgive her. To be honest, she didn't really want to forgive _him _either, but she did want to find out what was going on. She just had to find a way to ambush Sirius after a lesson.

Unfortunately, this was proving to be harder than it seemed. Sirius was usually surrounding by the Marauders or a group of giggling girls; getting him on his own seemed to be impossible. Alice didn't just want to walk up to him and ask to speak to him in case he refused and walked away, so she decided to be sneaky. She waited until after dinner, when she knew the Marauders would be in the Gryffindor common room, and went and hung around outside the Gryffindor portrait, waiting for someone to come along.

The Fat Lady was very annoyed at her being there, and seemed convinced that she was trying to sneak into Gryffindor tower. Alice was getting frustrated and contemplating leaving, but luckily, just as she was about to go, a third-year boy turned up.

"Can you please go and tell Sirius Black that I want a word with him? Don't tell him my name," Alice added hurriedly.

The boy eyed her suspiciously until she turned away with her fingers in her ears so he could say the password.

After a few moments, the portrait hole was pushed open and Sirius swaggered out, obviously expecting to find one of his female fans there. The grin slid immediately off his face when he realised who it was.

"Don't walk away," Alice said quickly. "I really need to talk to you."

"I thought we didn't have anything else to say to each other, Tyler," Sirius said coldly. "You were the one who made _that _perfectly clear."

"I know that," Alice said, taking a deep breath. "But this is important."

Sirius looked her up and down, then apparently made up his mind and nodded. The two of them began to walk side-by-side down the corridor, looking at each other warily.

Alice took a deep breath. "It's about Remus and Holly."

"What about them?" Sirius asked, an edge to his voice.

Alice steeled herself. "I heard you two talking the other day, in the classroom..."

Sirius stopped and turned to face her. He looked furious.

"It was you listening at the door?"

"Yes," Alice said, feeling a little ashamed. "I didn't mean to overhear, but I did, and I just wanted to know... what was Remus talking about?"

"You didn't hear the whole conversation?"

"No," Alice admitted.

Sirius visibly relaxed, but he still looked angry.

"I don't think it's any business of yours," he said icily.

"No, it's not," Alice agreed. "But it is Holly's business, and she's one of my best friends. I don't want her to get hurt, and I promise I won't tell her... I just want to know, that's all. If Remus is going to hurt her, I want to know..."

"It's none of your business," Sirius said again. "Remus will tell Holly when he wants to. She won't get hurt, I'm telling you. Now stop butting in where it's not your business!"

Sirius turned from her and marched away. Alice groaned to herself; she ought to have known that Sirius would react that way. Why could she never just keep her mouth shut?

_Because I'm a good friend, _she thought as she made her way to her own dormitory, intending to have an early night, and that comforted her a little. _It's just a shame that Sirius and I will never be good friends. We'll always rub each other up the wrong way, and that's that._

xxxxxxx

The weather was getting warmer, with the odd shower here and there. April had arrived, and the Easter holidays were the following week. Alice was going to Lily's for the holidays to see her parents and sister.

The three girls were spending some quality time together; they had all agreed that they were spending far too much time with the Marauders lately and never had any girly time together. They were sat under the big oak tree next to the lake, enjoying the pale sunshine. Holly was lying on her stomach, doing a crossword in _Witch Weekly. _Lily was practising Charms, easily her best subject, and Alice was reading _Hogwarts: A History. _

"I'm sorry about the whole thing with Sirius," Alice said suddenly.

She didn't know where that had come from; she had surprised herself by speaking. Although what she had said was true. She wished, for Lily and Holly's sake, that she and Sirius could get along, but it was nearing impossible these days.

"It's OK," Holly said, rolling over onto her back. "Some people just can't get along with each other, that's all."

"Like James and Severus," Lily commented.

"Yeah, but it's not like the situation with James and Snape," Alice found herself arguing. "It's not like we want to hurt each other, we don't go out of our way to be nasty to each other. It's just that we can't seem to be in the same room as each other without doing or saying something that annoys the other one."

"It's because you've both got such strong personalities," Holly said, sitting up and blocking the sun with her head. Her blonde hair gleamed golden in the light. "Alice, you're a straight-laced, stubborn, realistic kind of person, whereas Sirius is more fun-loving, and doesn't take things as seriously. Both of you like to think you're right all the time. Sirius takes delight in winding you up, because he knows that you'll take the bait. But sometimes you take it _too _personally and end up saying things you shouldn't, which then irritates Sirius."

Alice and Lily stared at her; Holly blushed under their gazes and buried her head back in _Witch Weekly._

"Holly, you've hit the nail on the head," Lily said, with a wide grin. "That describes Alice and Sirius _exactly_."

"It does not!" Alice protested. "_Straight-laced_... you make me sound like Professor McGonagall or somebody!"

But in her heart she knew what Holly had said was true, and she hated herself for it.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," she said, ignoring the smile on Lily's face. "We're like cats and dogs... just opposites, I guess."

"Opposites attract," smirked Lily.

"They do _not_," Alice stressed. She could never, ever date somebody like Sirius without wanting to murder him after a second. "Anyway, I'm still sorry, and I don't want it to get in the way of our friendship or your relationships, so I will _try_ to be civil... I promise."

"Good for you," Holly said over the top of her magazine. Alice returned to her book.

The companiable silence was broken by a voice.

"Alice?"

It was Peter; Alice looked up in surprise.

"Professor Dumbledore wants to see you... he says it's important."

Peter looked a little nervous at this news, but then again he always looked nervous these days. Alice couldn't really blame him - she was feeling pretty nervous herself. It was looking very likely that Voldemort would soon have risen to full power, with a deadly army, but Alice was trying not to think about that.

All sorts of wild thoughts started running through Alice's head as she closed her book and bid goodbye to Lily and Holly. Was it good news? Had Cameron been caught? No... it would surely have been in that morning's paper.

Then... was it bad news? Had something happened to one of her parents? By the time she reached Dumbledore's office, she was almost shaking with nerves.

She didn't need the password this time; the stone gargoyle immediately sprang to life as if it had been expecting her, and let her through. Alice climbed the steps, feeling sick at the thought of the news that might await her.

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, his eyes fixed on the door as she walked in. Noticing the expression on Alice's face, he smiled.

"Calm down, Miss Tyler. It's not bad news."

Alice let her shoulders slump in relief. "Thank goodness," she said, with a wry smile. "I was starting to panic."

"Have a seat," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. Alice sat, wondering what Dumbledore could want.

"I presume you remember earlier on in the school year, when I sent you back to Lord Voldemort's school years?" Alice nodded, cringing at the name. She shuddered with fear at the memory - Voldemort had grabbed her arm, threatened her - she had never felt anything so evil in her life.

And she had given Voldemort a different name... Dorcas Meadowes. Why, oh why, hadn't she just made one up? Had she caused some sort of trouble for Dorcas?

"Then you will remember the envelope that I asked you to deliver?"

Alice's mind wandered back to the envelope. Dumbledore had said it contained a weapon; a deadly weapon that Voldemort was desperate to get his hands on. She had wondered what sort of a weapon would fit in an envelope. A wand? No... Voldemort had a wand of his own, he wouldn't need another one...

"I am going to tell you what was in that envelope, Miss Tyler, because I think Lord Voldemort is going to make an attempt to steal it."

"What - from the school?" Alice asked in horror. Voldemort, come to the school... Alice couldn't bear to think about it.

"No, not the school," Dumbledore replied. "I didn't dare keep it here, for I believe that certain students in this school may be passing information along to Lord Voldemort about how to get into the castle. Oh, don't worry," he added hastily, at the look on Alice's face. "The school is very well protected. However, I am worried that somebody might attempt to steal the weapon if I keep it here, so I have sent it to a friend of mine for safekeeping. Nobody knows where it is."

"Who is passing on information to You-Know-Who?" Alice asked.

"I have my suspicions," Dumbledore replied. "However, I cannot prove anything at this moment in time, and I'm certainly not going to divulge any names, Miss Tyler."

Alice went red. Of course, Dumbledore wouldn't tell _her_. She thought she could make a pretty good guess, though.

"So... why are you telling me about this weapon?" she asked.

"Because you were the one who risked a lot to deliver it for me," Dumbledore answered, smiling. "And I want you to understand why Voldemort wants it so much, so you can be aware."

Alice sat in silence, waiting for Dumbledore to go on.

"The weapon is a very powerful magical object," Dumbledore began. "Anybody in possession of it will find themselves immune to jinxes, hexes, potions... almost any spell you can think of will have no effect."

"Almost any spell?"

"Any spell except the three Unforgivable curses... you are aware of what they are, I'm sure."

Alice nodded; they had learnt about the Unforgivables recently in Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"So... whoever has the object will become almost invincible?" Alice asked.

"Yes," replied Dumbledore. "As I say, Voldemort thinks if he gets hold of it he _will _be invincible, because no decent wizard would ever use an Unforgivable, even on somebody like him. Voldemort knows this, of course, which is why he is so desperate to get hold of it."

"But he can't, can he?" Alice said quickly. "You said it's being looked after by a friend..."

"Indeed it is," Dumbledore agreed. "However, the object does rather have a mind of its own... it has been disappearing and reappearing in places that it shouldn't, when the wizard who is looking after it hasn't been looking. He has now put protection spells around it to prevent this from happening, and I am convinced that it is quite safe."

"So there's no way You-Know-Who can get at it?" Alice checked; she wanted to make quite sure that she and her friends had nothing to worry about.

"No, not at all," Dumbledore answered. "I am the only person in the world who knows who is looking after the object. I am sure that Voldemort thinks I have it, and he would not be foolish enough to try and break into the castle. He knows well enough the enchantments that guard it; there is no way he can penetrate these walls. However, that is not to say he won't get someone else to try - someone in the school, who is maybe working for him. So I am asking you to keep a look out, Miss Tyler. Be on your guard at all times. There is no reason anyone should try and attack yourself, but if you see or hear anything suspicious, please come to me at once."

Alice racked her brains. Anything suspicious... she was sure there was something, in the back of her mind, that she thought was important to tell Dumbledore, that he must know about immediately... but she couldn't remember it.

_Can't be that important, then, _Alice reasoned.

"Sir..."

"Yes, Miss Tyler?"

"What exactly _is _the object?"

"Ah, I knew you would ask me that," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "I'm afraid I'm not going to tell you, Miss Tyler."

"But you said..."

"I said that I would tell you what the weapon _did_," Dumbledore pointed out. "I never said I was going to tell you what it was. I think it better that you don't know, for your own protection."

"Yes, sir," Alice said, irked. She knew that Dumbledore was right, of course, but that didn't mean her curiousity wasn't piqued.

"You may go," Dumbledore said, indicating the conversation was over.

Alice left his office, her mind whirling. Somebody inside the school could know what the weapon was... could try and get it... wherever and whatever it was, she hoped Dumbledore was right and that is _was_ well protected. Alice made up her mind to keep a very close eye on the Slytherins, especially Lucius Malfoy and Snape. If anyone was involved with Voldemort, it would be them.

Alice raced back to the oak tree, where Lily and Holly were still sitting, and relayed back what Dumbledore had said.

"Wow..." Holly said, her eyes wide. "I can't believe it!"

"I can," Lily said grimly. "A weapon that makes you almost invincible... no wonder You-Know-Who wants it!"

"Not that," Holly said impatiently. "I mean I can't believe Dumbledore thinks that someone in the school is working for You-Know-Who..."

"Yes, I wonder who?" Lily said sarcastically. Holly grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess there is a certain gang of Slytherins we can all suspect," she agreed.

"Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye out, so I'm going to keep my eye on them," Alice said firmly. "And you guys should too, we definitely don't want anyone to find out about the weapon."

"Agreed," Lily said at once. "At least we can do something to help."

"The sun's starting to set," Holly said, casting an eye at the sky, which was slowly turning a liquid orange. "We should get inside before the teachers see us."

The three girls began making their way back to the castle. When they reached the front doors and pushed them open, Belinda, Jen and Suzanne were on the other side.

Belinda turned to them with pleading eyes. "We were waiting for you," she said in an innocent tone of voice.

"Why?" Holly asked warily.

Belinda stamped her foot. "To apologise, of course!"

"Belinda, I thought I told you a million times just to _fuck off_," Alice snapped, drawing her wand. "Now get out of the way."

"No, you told me that I needed to apologise to Lily, which is what I'm doing," Belinda retorted, standing her ground. She turned to the redhead. "Lily, I honestly and truly am very sorry about what I did to you," she said sincerely. "To be honest, I didn't even really like David very much anyway... we've split up," she added at Alice's unbelieving snort of laughter. "I dumped him, he was way too whiny for me..."

"Are you finished?" Alice said impatiently. "Because we want to get inside."

"Belinda, it's fine," Lily said reassuringly. "I don't care any more, I'm over it. Besides, like I said to Alice, you did me a favour, really. Better I see David for what he really was then rather than later."

"Oh, of course!" Belinda squealed.

"Yeah," Alice agreed, heavy with sarcasm. "You're both a pair of two-faced idiots, but at least you're honest about it, Belinda."

Belinda shot her a nasty look, then went and hugged Lily.

"I'm so glad you're not angry any more!" she said gleefully. "I hope we can be friends."

"Erm... maybe," Lily said, sounding bemused. She and Holly bid the Ravenclaws farewell and headed back to Gryffindor tower.

Belinda put her arm around Alice's shoulder, but Alice shrugged it off.

"Get off," she said at once. "Just because Lily's forgiven you doesn't mean I have."

She hurried off back to the common room, not even stopping to glance back to see Belinda's reaction.

xxxxxxxxx

A/N: I found this chapter fairly difficult to write, so I hope it was worth the wait! Next chapter: Lily and Alice visit Lily's parents for Easter.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Here's Chapter 17! Only 6 more to go before the end of the story! Thanks to everyone who stuck around this long!**

"Thank MERLIN!"

Holly gave a great sigh of relief and leaned back on her chair, putting her hands behind her head. She, Alice, Lily and the Marauders were eating dinner at the Gryffindor table after their last lesson of the day, Alice's being Potions and the Gryffindors' being Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was Friday, it was the evening, and it signalled that the first day of the Easter holidays started tomorrow.

"Holly, I know _exactly _how you feel," Sirius agreed, tucking into steak and kidney pudding.

"Alice is actually disappointed that school is over for two weeks," James teased, nudging Alice in the ribs.

"I am not," Alice protested, with a grin. "Even I'm getting tired of all the homework we've been getting!"

"Yeah, it's almost as if we've got important exams coming up or something," Sirius smirked.

"It'll be nice to have a break," Lily said, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. "I'm looking forward to going home and seeing my parents and Petunia."

"I thought you said you and Petunia don't get along?" Holly frowned.

"We don't, really," Lily shrugged. "But that's on her part, really... she hates magic and everything to do with it. Anyway, she should be happy - she's just got engaged to her boyfriend, Vernon. She'll be too busy showing off to be annoyed with my presence at home."

"How am I going to cope without my fair lady for two weeks?" James said in mock horror, clutching his heart.

"You've got me coming to yours, remember?" Sirius said, nudging him.

"Ah yes, that more than makes up for it," James agreed. Lily glared at him playfully, and he put up his hands in surrender.

The seven of them were catching the train to London in the morning; none of them was remaining at Hogwarts for the holidays. Alice had been a little disappointed that she wasn't going to see her parents for yet another holiday, but she understood that they were very busy and she wouldn't see much of them. Besides, her father was a very important Auror at the Ministry, which made her a target for Dark wizards. She would be much safer at Lily's in Surrey at the moment.

"I wonder if anyone's actually staying at Hogwarts over the holidays?" Peter wondered aloud.

"Emmeline Vance is," Alice answered. "I dunno why, she never really mentions her parents..."

"Snape is, too," Lily chimed in. "He doesn't get on with his parents, they argue a lot. His father never really wants him around." James trained his accusing glare on her and she blushed.

"I mean, from what he told me years ago..."

Holly shuddered. "Imagine having family like that, that don't want you around..."

Alice glanced quickly at Sirius to see how he would react; she knew perfectly well that he had ran away from home last summer and stayed with James every holiday because he hated his parents. Sirius was concentrating on his food. He didn't even look up, or give any sign that he had heard at all. Maybe he didn't really care that much.

The group finished their dinner and got up to leave. As Alice passed the staff table, she caught Dumbledore's eye, and she could have sworn he gave her the tiniest of winks. Alice gave a grin back. She had been doing what he had said, and keeping an eye out - although, she admitted, she hadn't seen anything at all that could be counted as "suspicious".

She, like Lily, was looking forward to having a break. She had visited Lily's house before, and her parents were lovely - very interested in what Lily and Alice had to tell them about the wizarding world. Petunia, on the other hand, had looked Alice up and down like she was dirt and didn't speak a word to her throughout the whole visit. Alice didn't say anything, because she knew, no matter how nasty she was, Lily still loved her sister and wished that they were closer.

The next day dawned bright and clear; Alice dressed quickly and hurried down to where the carriages were waiting. She, Lily and Holly had a carraige to themselves. Holly was talking excitedly about seeing her parents and her little brother, who was also a Muggle. She lived in Devon, which was quite a way to travel back from London. Luckily, Lily didn't live _too _far away - Alice hated long journeys. She was quite thankful that her own parents were a witch and wizard - they lived in Manchester, which would have been difficult to get to, but they usually took Alice by Side-Along Apparition. Thank Merlin she could Apparate by herself now!

When they were on the train, the girls sat in a compartment with the Marauders. They had a very enjoyable journey, playing Exploding Snap and eating their way through the contents of the food trolley. The only low point of the journey was when Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black walked past their compartment and glared at them through the glass.

"Problem?" James asked jauntily. Malfoy sneered at them and walked away, obviously realising that he was outnumbered.

"Slimy git," Remus said idly, dealing out cards.

The journey over; they all departed at the station, with lots of embarrassing hugs and goodbyes from Lily, James, Holly and Remus. When Lily seemed to be unable to tear herself away from James, Alice cleared her throat loudly, and a blushing Lily pulled herself out of his embrace.

They all bid farewell to each other, and Alice and Lily went to greet Lily's parents.

"Lily!" her mother said warmly, pulling Lily into a hug. "Alice, lovely to see you again," she added, smiling.

"Where's Petunia?" Lily asked eagerly, looking round for her sister.

"At home, she has a headache," Mrs Evans replied. Lily's face fell; she looked crestfallen. Alice linked her arm through her best friend's as Lily's parents led them to the car.

"Never mind, Lil," she said reassuringly. "I'm sure she'll be pleased to see you when you get home."

She wasn't sure at all, but Lily looked so downcast that she wanted to say something to comfort her.

The journey didn't take that long. They arrived at Lily's house, which was small but welcoming, in good time and Lily rushed into the house straight away to look for her sister.

"Tuney?" Alice heard her shouting. She hurried into the house with Lily's parents.

Petunia was sitting in the living room, watching TV. She scowled at the sound of Lily's voice.

"I told you not to call me that any more, Lily. It's such a childish nickname - I'm 20 years old, not a baby!"

"Sorry," Lily said, stung. She held out her arms to her sister for a hug, but, completely ignoring her, Petunia got up and swept out of the room.

"I'm going to see Vernon," she called back to her parents, disregarding Lily completely.

Alice bit her lip at the expression on Lily's face; for a moment she looked like she was going to burst into tears, but then took a deep, shuddery breath. Mr and Mrs Evans exchanged awkward glances.

"Don't mind Petunia too much, Lily dear," Mr Evans said uncomfortably. "She's still having a bit of trouble with - well, you know. You being a witch and all."

"I've been a witch for nearly seven years!" Lily protested. "I would have thought she would have got over it by now."

"Obviously not," Alice shrugged. Lily looked miserable and drifted out into the garden. After a moment, Alice followed her.

Lily was sitting on the old swing, looking forlorn. Alice went and put her arm around her. "Everything OK?" she asked lightly.

"Yeah," Lily said nonchalantly. "My sister hates me, but it's fine."

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you," Alice argued. "She might just be scared of magic or something, because she can't control it. A lot of Muggles have that attitude, it's why we keep the wizarding world a secret."

"She wrote to Dumbledore, you know," Lily said quietly. "After I got my Hogwarts letter... she wrote to Dumbledore, asking if she could come to Hogwarts too."

Alice gaped; Petunia Evans seemed the last person in the world who would want to go to Hogwarts.

"I think she's jealous," Lily admitted. "You know, she's the older sister, she obviously thought maybe she's the one that should have the magical powers... my parents are proud of the fact that I'm a witch, Petunia probably thinks I'm trying to outshine her or something. But still, I just wish she could try and be happy for me... I miss her friendship, like we used to have when we were little." A tear rolled down Lily's cheek and Alice gave her friend a hug.

"Maybe things will get better as you get older," Alice said tentatively.

"I thought that they would," Lily admitted. "But they haven't, they've just got worse over the years. And she and Vernon are moving into their own place when they get married, so I'll hardly ever see her at all."

Alice couldn't bear to see Lily looking so downcast. "Why don't you go and write to James?" she suggested.

Lily's eyebrows rose. "Already? But we only just got here."

"Yeah, but it might make you feel better to talk to him," Alice said.

Lily's brow was furrowed. "Yeah, maybe..."

She and Alice made their way upstairs to get a quill and parchment. Lily's bedroom was small and bright, with cream-coloured walls and a sort of collage of photographs of her and Alice over the years, all of which were moving, looking like an insane montage. Alice smiled at a picture of the two of them at Hogwarts in their second year. They looked so young... it seemed a lifetime ago. Alice missed those innocent days.

Lily was sat cross-legged on the bed, scribbling away. Alice wandered over to sit at Lily's desk by the window, which looked out onto the garden. The sun was shining, and Alice swung her legs idly as her eyes scanned the garden. It was quite peaceful, just sitting there, hearing the birds chirping and the soft scratch of Lily's quill...

Alice jumped up so suddenly that the chair fell backwards onto the carpeted floor with a thud. Lily looked up, surprise etched into every inch of her face. "What's wrong?" she asked, getting up too.

Alice was shaking; plunging a hand into her pocket, she drew her wand and turned and raced down the stairs without a word to Lily. Lily's parents looked up, shocked, as Alice tore past them through the living room and into the garden, eyes darting around blindly.

Lily caught up with her at the swing. "What the hell is the matter?" she panted.

"He was here," Alice muttered wildly, lunging towards a bush and proceeding to tear the leaves and branches apart, peppering her bare arms with tiny cuts. "Here... I saw him..."

"Who was here?" Lily asked, alarmed, as Alice ran to the next bush and blasted it apart with her wand. "Alice, you're ruining my parents' garden!"

Alice didn't care at the moment. Up there, at the window, she had seen him sitting on the swing... she thought it was a trick of the light at first, until he lifted his hand and waved at her, an evil smile on his face... she couldn't believe that he had the audacity to show up here of all places... and when she found him, she would make him very sorry indeed...

Her uncle, Cameron Tyler, Voldemort supporter and Muggle-born murderer, had been sitting in Lily's garden, bold as brass.

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Are you _sure _you're OK, Alice?"

Mrs Evans was looking at her with a worried expression on her face. Alice couldn't blame her. Lily's parents had seemed horrified when they came into the garden to find Alice standing amidst a pile of leaves and twigs, their immaculate garden destroyed.

Lily had managed to fix it all, jabbering away about Alice seeing something that had scared her. Alice knew that she must have looked quite mad, and did not argue when Mrs Evans led her inside, sat her firmly on the sofa and made her a cup of strong, sweet tea, which, Alice had to admit, was the best tea she'd ever tasted, and did manage to calm her down quite a bit.

"I'm fine," Alice said reassuringly, as she drank her second cup. That was a lie, of course. She was both angry and terrified beyond belief, but she saw no point in worrying Mr and Mrs Evans. Lily was looking at her, wide-eyed and anxious, as if she could somehow read Alice's mind and figure out what was wrong.

Alice finished the tea and handed the cup back to Mrs Evans. "I think I'll go and lie down for a minute... thanks for the tea, Mrs Evans," she added automatically, jerking her head slightly to communicate to Lily to follow her upstairs.

In Lily's room, Alice sat cross-legged on the bed while Lily took a seat at the desk.

"Well?" Lily demanded.

Alice closed her eyes, remembering the way he had been smirking up at her, as if he was taunting her. She hadn't seen him for several years, but she remembered his face... it was, to be fair, a mangled, twisted, evil version of what his face used to look like, but she had known straight away it was him. What if he came back? What if he tried to hurt Lily and her family? Alice clenched her fists. She wouldn't let that happen.

"Alice!" Lily was shouting.

"It was him," Alice mumbled, eyes still shut. "Cameron. My uncle Cameron, the one who's been killing the Muggles and Muggle-borns. In your garden."

Alice opened her eyes to see a white-faced Lily, eyes wide, looking shell-shocked.

"Are you sure?" she asked, taking a deep breath. "I mean, it was bright outside, you might have been squinting and just _thought _you saw -"

"I'm sure," Alice said dully. "I'll never forget his face."

"But... what if he comes after me? Or worse, my parents and sister?" Lily sounded panicked. "Alice, what are we going to do?"

"We have to write to Dumbledore straight away," Alice decided. "Maybe they can put protection spells around your house or something... pass me some parchment, Lil."

Lily handed over parchment and quill, and Alice started composing the letter. When she had finished, she attached the letter to the leg of Lily's owl, and it flew out of the open window with a squawk.

"What do we do now?" Lily asked fearfully.

"Wait, I suppose," Alice shrugged. "And if he comes back, I'll deal with him myself."

Alice sounded so fierce that Lily didn't argue.

xxxxxxx

As the days passed and the girls didn't hear back from Dumbledore, Lily grew more and more anxious. The only comfort was that there had been no sign of Cameron since, even though Alice had been barely sleeping, watching out the window in the middle of the night in case he came back. The two of them dared not venture too far from the house; Lily was too scared to leave her parents alone in the house for too long, so much of their time was spent in Lily's garden.

On their last night before they went back to school, Mrs Evans had cooked a big dinner and invited Petunia's fiance, Vernon, round. Petunia seemed very edgy about this.

"Obviously she hasn't told him I'm a witch," Lily shrugged, hurt clouding her eyes.

"She must be ashamed."

Vernon was a tall, overweight man with a large, bushy black moustache. Petunia seemed besotted by him, though Alice couldn't see why. He seemed very self-important to her - he was only about five or six years older than she and Lily, and he was already up for a managerial position at the firm where he worked, which made some kind of Muggle tool that Alice didn't understand or have much interest in. The conversation around the table was polite and strained, and Alice didn't take much notice in it - she was worried she might say or do something wrong that would give Lily away.

Instead, she let her thoughts drift back to Cameron, and then to Dumbledore. Why hadn't he replied to the letter she and Lily sent? Didn't he care at all that Lily could get hurt? That couldn't be it, Alice thought. Dumbledore would never let one of his students be exposed to such danger like that, it just didn't make sense. No, there must be some more sinister reason why Dumbledore hadn't replied... without thinking what she was doing, so concentrated was she on her train of thought, that Alice took out her wand and made the salt shaker zoom across the table towards her.

The room went immediately silent. Alice, who was busy salting her food, hadn't noticed at first, but when she looked up she noticed that everyone was staring at her. Slowly, it dawned on her what she had just done.

Vernon's face was purple; his eyes were bulging and he was pointing across the table at her. Petunia was looking absolutely horrified; Lily and her parents looked nervous.

Spluttering, Vernon jumped from the table and charged out of the room like a bull.

"Vernon!" Petunia shrieked, getting from her chair and chasing after him. "Vernon, wait!"

The rest of them in the room heard the front door slam, and Petunia's shrieks as she chased Vernon down the road.

"Now you've done it," Lily said heavily to Alice. Alice went bright red. Poor Lily - Petunia would probably never speak to her again for this.

The rest of dinner went by in silence, and Alice and Lily escaped to Lily's room when it was over. Lily halfheartedly shoved her belongings into her trunk, while a frustrated

Alice paced up and down the room. She couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts and find out what was going on.

The next morning, Mr and Mrs Evans packed her trunk in the boot of their car alongside Lily's. Lily was secretly fretting about leaving her parents and sister behind. Petunia was nowhere to be seen. The incident at dinner the night before had not been mentioned, but Alice couldn't help but feel that she had caused some lasting damage.

As they drove off, Alice caught a glimpse of Petunia at the upstairs window, glaring at the car as it sped away.

James and Sirius were already waiting at the station when they arrived; Lily hurtled into James' waiting arms. "Thanks for having me to stay, Mr and Mrs Evans," Alice said politely.

"You're welcome, anytime. So is this your boyfriend, Lily?" Mr Evans smiled.

James looked terrified as Lily dragged him off to meet her parents, leaving Alice standing awkwardly with Sirius.

"Good holiday?" Alice asked weakly.

"Yeah, it was alright," shrugged Sirius. "You?"

"Not really," Alice admitted. Desperate for something to talk about, she related the story of what had happened with Petunia and Vernon.

Sirius sniggered. "You really are an idiot, Tyler."

Biting back an angry reply, Alice took a deep, calming breath. This was just what Sirius wanted - her to bite back, snap at him, and start another argument. He knew her

too well, much to her annoyance. So, she held her tongue, and gave a reluctant, sheepish grin.

"Yeah, I was a bit, I suppose."

The expression on Sirius' face made Alice laugh; he was so shocked that she had spoke to him without snarling that he seemed utterly speechless.

"And that's not all," Alice continued, as Lily and James joined them and the quartet boarded the train. Taking it in turns, she and Lily told James and Sirius about seeing Cameron in Lily's garden.

James looked stunned. "But - he could still be there now, couldn't he?"

"Oh, don't, dont," Lily wailed. "I can't bear to think about him there, with my parents... we have to do something!"

"We wrote to Dumbledore, but he didn't reply," Alice said, puzzled. "I can't believe he would ignore us like that..."

"He wouldn't," Sirius said. "There must be some sort of mistake."

Remus and Peter joined them in their compartment. "Well, I for one can't wait to get back to school and get to the bottom of this once and for all," Alice said grimly.

xxxxxxx

After dumping their luggage back in their seperate common rooms, Alice and Lily marched off to Dumbledore's office. Alice didn't have a clue as to what the password was, but thought if they hung around long enough then Dumbledore must appear at some point, either leaving the office or coming in. Unfortunately, after ten minutes the plan was scuppered by Professor McGonagall coming down the corridor.

"What are you doing outside the Headmaster's office?" she asked suspiciously.

"We need to speak to him urgently," Alice said at once.

Professor McGonagall looked a little kindlier; Alice had been working very hard in her class and was coming near the top in Transfiguration.

"I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore has gone away for a few days," she said.

"Away!" Alice shrieked. "Why?"

"That is the Headmaster's business, Miss Tyler," McGonagall said, her tone a little more clipped. "But I can assure you it is a matter of great importance, and he cannot be disturbed at this time. Now it's time to go back to your dormitories, it's getting

late."

Alice and Lily exchanged aghast glances. "Dumbledore gone away... what do we do now?" Lily whispered, as they started along the corridor.

"We'll just have to wait, and hope he comes back soon," Alice replied. Lily looked petrified. "Hey, Lily, I'm sure your parents will be OK," she said, although she wasn't sure of anything of the sort. "Write to them as much as you can, just keep checking up on them. They'll be alright, Lily, I promise." She and Lily bade each other goodnight, and Alice set off to the Ravenclaw tower, a cold knot of fear slowly forming in her stomach.

**A/N: Next chapter: A shock death, which causes Alice to take action once and for all.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: There is a character death in this chapter, but it is a minor one! Enjoy!**

Lily was sending her parents almost daily letters ever since the incident with Cameron. Alice had told her there was no point fretting; there had been no sighting of Cameron since, nothing even in the Daily Prophet. And as the month of April slowly drew to a close, with no sign of him whatsoever, Lily stopped writing so frequently, although she still sometimes wore an expression of fear.

Alice, meanwhile, was starting to panic. With everything that had happened, she hadn't realised how close the N.E.W.T. exams were, until she realised they were three weeks away and she had done hardly any studying. She threw herself into her schoolwork, and often stayed up late into the night revising. She, Lily and Holly made a pretty good team - Alice's strong point was Transfiguration, so she helped tutor the other two, whereas Lily was excellent at Charms and Potions, and Holly was good at Herbology. Lily and Holly also helped Alice with Muggle Studies; though neither of them took the subject, they were both Muggle-born. James, Sirius and Remus were the three top students in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and they sometimes helped the girls out with this, although James and Sirius didn't seem to be doing much studying of their own.

"We know it all already, what's the point?" James asked when Alice pointed this out. "Padfoot and I are going to ace the N.E.W.T.s, you'll see."

"Ever heard the phrase, 'Counting your chickens before they hatch'?" Lily teased him.

"No," said James, looking puzzled. "What do chickens have to do with it?"

Chuckling, Lily went back to reading Advanced Potion-Making.

Not only had there been no sign of Cameron, there had been no word from Dumbledore, either. Professor McGonagall, the deputy head, was filling in for him for the moment, but Alice was feeling a little uneasy. What could be so important to drag Dumbledore away from the school at a time like this, when there were Death Eater attacks coming from left, right and centre? Especially after the whole business about the weapon... maybe he had gone to hide it, Alice thought hopefully. Maybe abroad or somewhere...

"Alice?"

Lily was staring at her worriedly. Sirius was smirking.

"Losing the plot, Tyler?"

"No," Alice retorted, sticking out her tongue playfully. "I'm just thinking. You should try it sometimes, Black; it won't kill you."

"Touche!" Sirius said genially. Alice grinned. She and Sirius had been getting along a lot better lately, she had to admit. They would never be the best of friends, but they could tolerate being around each other, and that was all that mattered, especially to their friends.

"Mr Potter?"

It was Professor McGonagall, and she looked stricken.

"Could I see you in my office, please?"

Alice and Lily exchanged glances. What had James done this time?

"You'd better come too, Miss Tyler," McGonagall added as an afterthought.

Now Alice was worried. She got up and followed James and McGonagall out, casting panicked looks at her friends as she went.

"Whatever it was, I didn't do it," James said immediately, after McGonagall had closed the door.

"No, it's nothing like that, Mr Potter," McGonagall said, sounding weary. "Have a seat."

Alice and James sat down, looking at each other anxiously.

"Now, normally the Headmaster would be dealing with this sort of situation, but since he is away at the moment, the responsibility lies with me." Professor McGonagall began to pace up and down. "There is no easy way for me to say this, Mr Potter, but... your father is dead."

James' face drained of colour. Alice as if she was falling; the sensation was so great that she gripped the arms of her chair as if afraid the floor would open up and swallow her. James' father... her uncle... her mother's brother... dead... it couldn't be. McGonagall was lying, she was playing some sort of sick joke... Alice's emotions changed to angry, but then one look at McGonagall's face told her this wasn't a joke.

James seemed unable to speak. Professor McGonagall continued speaking. "This morning, on his way to work, he was stopped by Death Eaters... they wanted him to join them. You-Know-Who wanted your father on his side. Naturally, he declined. He put up a good fight... managed to take two of them down with him. But there were too many of them, and..."

McGonagall stopped speaking. Alice could have sworn she saw tears glittering in her eyes, before she pulled herself together.

"The Ministry fears your mother may be the next target, so she has gone on the run. The funeral will be held on May 5th, which is nine days from now. We're hoping your mother will be able to make it... she wanted to send you both her love, and hopes you will be reunited soon..."

Tears had now spilled over Alice's eyelids; with a howl she threw her arms around James. James patted her awkwardly on the back, still staring straight ahead. Alice didn't know what to do, what to say, what even to think... James' father had been a true Gryffindor; always so brave, he knew exactly what to do in a crisis and never lost his nerve. The news that he had been killed came as a crushing blow to Alice... if there was no hope for him, there was no hope for anyone...

Alice had always known that You-Know-Who was becoming more and more powerful, that his Death Eaters were recruiting. But she had felt safe inside Hogwarts' walls, like nothing could ever harm her or the people she loved. Stupidly, she had assumed that only Muggle-borns were in danger, and while she had been terrified for Lily and Holly, she never thought anyone would go after her family...

_Will Mum and Dad be next? _Alice was horrified at the thought. She didn't think she could handle her own parents dying. If she felt this much grief for her uncle, imagine how much she would feel if it was her parents...

Releasing herself from James' embrace, Alice sniffed and tried to pull herself together. She had to be strong for James' sake. "You will, of course, be excused from classes for this week," McGonagall was saying. "I'm... so sorry for your loss."

This seemed an indication for them to leave. Alice and James stood up, and they left the office wordlessly.

They didn't speak on the way back to the library. _How will we tell our friends? _Alice worried. _How will James take this? _James hadn't uttered a word since they had received the news; he was white-faced, his eyes were glazed, but he didn't speak. Alice didn't want to push him, but she was scared - she knew he it was a pretty serious blow. How the hell would he cope, knowing that his father was dead?

They entered the library; five faces looked at them expectantly. The looks changed to ones of concern at the sight of James' pale face and Alice's tear-streaked one.

"What is it?" Lily asked in alarm, jumping up and running towards them at once.

"It's..." Alice squeezed her eyes shut, unable to say the words. Saying it out loud would make it real.

"My dad." James' voice rang out into the silence. It didn't sound like his own voice - it was cold and emotionless, as if a stranger had taken over his body. "They killed him. The Death Eaters killed him."

Sirius stood up as well, looking horror-struck. Alice knew that Sirius had begun to regard James' dad as a sort of father figure of his own - he had spent so much time there, and they had treated Sirius like another son.

"No..." Lily's eyes filled with tears of sympathy for James.

"He can't be," Sirius said, his face draining of colour. "He's not... James, he can't be!"

Alice noticed that Sirius had called James "James" for once, instead of those stupid nicknames they had for each other. She didn't know what to say.

Lily flung her arms around James, burying her face in his jumper, silent tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. James hugged her close, understanding that she was trying to comfort him although she knew there was nothing she could say that would make it better.

Holly and Remus had their arms around each other too, both looking shell-shocked. Alice, Sirius and Peter stood there awkwardly. The situation would have been funny if it wasn't so tragic, Alice thought grimly. She, Sirius and Peter, the sad single ones, all unsure of where to look and what to do.

The rest of the evening passed in silence, with the seven of them trying to get on with more revision. James was the exception - he just sat and stared into space. Occasionally someone would speak, just to ask to borrow a quill or book, and everyone would jump at the unexpected sound. When dinnertime rolled around, none of them felt like eating much, but agreed to go down into the Great Hall anyway, for something to do.

Dinner was a glum affair. Everyone picked at their food, nobody eating much. Alice wondered why everyone was carrying on like it was a normal day; surely they should be doing _something _other than just sitting around doing homework, like they did every day? The silence only made it more unbearable.

"It's Hogsmeade tomorrow," Peter piped up. "Do... er... do you think we should go?" He looked around nervously.

Alice glared at him. "Peter, I don't think James wants to -"

"Yeah, that sounds good," said James suddenly. "I think we should go."

His voice was wooden. Everyone stared at him.

"James, are you sure -"

"Yes," James said firmly. "I want to go." He pushed his plate away. "Alice, we'll meet you in the Entrance Hall in the morning. I'm going to bed."

He got up and exited the hall hurriedly. Alice and the others all looked at each other.

"Someone should go with him," Remus said.

"Yeah," agreed Alice. "Lily, why don't -"

"I'll go," Sirius said. He, too, got up and left.

"Oh, I can't stand this," Lily said miserably. "I can't believe it... I can't even imagine how James must be feeling right now. I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid." She bit her lip.

"He won't," Alice assured her. "I mean, the James of the past probably would, but he's grown up a lot. He knows not to be as reckless any more." _I think._

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The next morning, Alice was up bright and early... well, early at least. The weather was hot, and Alice scowled at the sunshine as she dressed. _Inappropriate weather._

She had slept fitfully; tossing and turning, crying occasionally. When she wasn't sleeping, she was pacing the dorm, unable to even concentrate on a book. Without her friends around, she had been alone with her thoughts, which were on nothing but James and his parents. Her aunt, James' mother, was now on the run, so there was no way of getting an owl to her to see if she was OK... how must she feel, having lost her husband and not even had a chance to mourn? Alice was dreading the funeral; it would be the first one she had ever been to, and she couldn't believe she was going to say goodbye to her uncle, who was the strongest man she had ever known, other than her father.

Alice had received an owl from her parents, who would also be attending the funeral. She couldn't wait to see them, she just wished it wasn't under these circumstances. Alice's mother had been distraught at the loss of her brother, and had taken some time off work. Alice couldn't take time off classes, not with the exams coming up, and she wouldn't even if she could. It only made things worse to sit around, stewing in your own juices. Still, she thought worriedly as she exited the Ravenclaw common room, a trip to Hogsmeade might be a bit much... everyone else around, laughing, having fun... she wanted to kick Peter for suggesting it. Maybe James had just agreed to go because he thought everyone else wanted to. She was sure she could convince him this wasn't the case, and that they didn't have to go.

When she arrived in the Entrance Hall, however, James looked very eager to get out of the castle. Alice exchanged wary looks with Lily.

"James," Alice said tentatively. "We don't... I mean, if you don't want to, we can..."

"I want to go," James said firmly, not even looking at Alice. He and Lily were holding hands, but Alice noticed how distracted he looked, and he was holding Lily's hand loosely.

Alice threw up her hands. "Fine. We'll go."

Sirius glared at her, as if she was being insensitive. Alice snorted. Sirius Black, the most insensitive person on the planet, was having a go at her! Didn't he know that she was as devastated as James about this? Alice opened her mouth to retort, and to her horror felt her eyes well up with tears. She turned away, not wanting the others to see her cry, but she couldn't help but see Sirius' face soften as she broke eye contact, so she knew that he had noticed. Furious, Alice blinked the tears away and stood up straight, saying stiffly, "Let's go, then."

The seven of them left the hall along with most of the school and headed into Hogsmeade. Normally, the boys would go to Zonko's joke shop and spend ages looking at the products, while the girls wandered around Honeydukes, the bookshop and jewellery stores, and then they would all meet up at the Three Broomsticks. Today, however, the mood was somber, and looking at joke shop products seemed grossly inappropriate, so they just headed straight for the Three Broomsticks, a glum little procession.

It wasn't right, Alice thought as they tramped along, eyeing the laughing students. It wasn't right that everyone was acting like it was a normal day, enjoying themselves, not having a care in the world... when really the world as she knew it had come to a skidding, screeching halt. No one was invincible. No one was safe from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Her uncle being killed had proven that, hadn't it? And what hope did anyone else have, with the Death Eaters killing trained Aurors, powerful wizards? What help did Muggle-borns like Lily and Holly have, or even the half-bloods and pure-bloods who refused to join Voldemort?

Of course, she wouldn't be so arrogant as to presume that she herself would be targeted. Of course, she was a pure-blood, but she was only just leaving school, not incredibly powerful or with any special skills. But her family, as had been proved, was very much in danger, and there was nothing she could do.

They were sat in the Three Broomsticks by now, drinking Butterbeers, still not speaking to each other. Alice didn't know if she could stand it. The people sitting at this table were her very best friends in the world, and they were acting as though they didn't even know each other. Was this the effect of war? People dying left, right and centre, friends reduced to silent strangers? "We have to stick together!" she said aloud without meaning to, and blushed as all eyes turned to her.

Holly gave her a weak smile. "Of course we do, Alice, and we will. We're in this together. We all have to be strong."

The others all nodded; Sirius raised his Butterbeer. "To Richard Potter," he said.

The rest of them clinked their glasses together; James was white-faced. "I'll be back in a minute," he said, jumping to his feet. Alice noticed him fidgeting furtively with something stowed in his cloak as he walked away.

"Where's he going?" Remus wondered aloud. James was headed, not for the bathroom, but for the door.

"Dunno, but we'd better go after him," Lily said at once, getting up from her chair.

The six of them left the pub to see James rounding the corner into a deserted area. They sped after him, just in time to see him pull on the Invisibility cloak.

"James, NO!" Sirius shouted.

"What?" Lily asked, sounding shocked.

"He's going," Sirius said. "He's leaving, he's going to try and get the Death Eaters."

"How do you know?" Alice asked fearfully.

"I know James," Sirius said grimly.

"You can't stop me!" Alice jumped at the sound of James' defiant voice. "I'm going, that's that! Go back up to school, don't worry about me."

"No way," Peter said firmly, and Alice looked at him, surprised. It wasn't like Peter to be so forceful. "I don't think it's a good idea, James."

"It's _definitely _not a good idea," Holly said firmly. "James, please. Don't rush into something so stupid."

"Stupid? STUPID?" James sounded angry, and there was a definite wobble in it. The voice was coming from somewhere to Alice's left. "How can you say that, Holly? THOSE BASTARDS KILLED MY DAD!"

Holly had turned bright red and tears were welling in her eyes. "I know, I'm sorry... I didn't mean that. I just meant..." she bit her lip as her voice trailed off.

"What she means is, your dad wouldn't want you to do this," Lily said in a shaky voice. "He wouldn't want you to go off on your own, to risk your life to avenge his death. He wouldn't want you to abandon your friends..."

"How would you know what he wants?" James snapped. "You never even met him!"

Lily recoiled, hurt and upset.

"I met him," Sirius said quietly. "I knew him. Alice knew him. And you knew him, James, and you know what Lily says is true."

There was no answer, but a rustle, and Alice saw, from the corner of her eye, part of James' shoe had appeared from under the cloak.

"There!" she shouted, and dived for James, tackling him to the ground. James was caught unawares, and Alice felt all the breath knocked out of her as Sirius launched himself on top of the pile of bodies. "Ouch!" she shrieked.

"We're not letting you go, James," Sirius panted, as James' head emerged, blinking back tears.

"You - you -"

"Call us whatever you like, but you're not going." Lily had come over, looking defiant. "I don't care what you say, James Potter. I love you and I'm not letting you do something so foolish."

"You what?" Alice heard Holly gasp.

Lily turned pink as she realised what she had just said. She knelt down next to James, who was gazing at her in wonder. "I love you, James," Lily repeated, holding James' gaze.

Alice suddenly realised how inappropriate the situation was - her on top of James, who was only partly visible, with Sirius on top of them both, squashing her. "Sirius, get the bloody hell off," she said quickly, realising that James wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Sirius got up, dusting himself off, Alice following suit. The two of them went to rejoin the others, leaving Lily and James to have a few moments alone.

"Reckon he'll be OK?" Remus murmured.

"No," Sirius answered. "Not for a while, anyway. But he and Lily have each other, that's what matters. And we all have each other," he added, looking around at the other Marauders, Alice and Holly. "Holly was right, we need to stick together. It's going to be a bumpy ride now - we don't know what's coming, what's round the corner. But all that matters is that we're loyal to each other."

Alice nodded. Never in her life had she agreed with Sirius Black more.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So, have you and Remus said 'I love you'?"

Alice and Holly were strolling around Hogsmeade. James and Lily had wanted to be alone for a while, so Sirius, Remus and Peter had gone back to finish their drinks. Alice had found herself unable to stay still, however, so she had cajoled Holly into looking around the shops with her.

Holly blushed. "Not yet. I'm waiting for him to say it first."

"Wise move," Alice commented, although she wasn't really listening. The two of them walked in companionable silence for a few minutes, until they had arrived at a street that seemed oddly familiar to Alice.

It was the same street she had come down all those months ago, where she had found the old little jewellery shop with the odd shopkeeper. "I've never been here before," said Holly with interest.

"I have," Alice commented. "Only once, though - I'll show you the shop where I went."

She led Holly down the street until they had arrived at the old shop: its condition seemed to have worsened since Alice had been there - the windows were thick with a layer of dust. However, it was easy to spot the cloak fastener in the window, right where it had been before.

Alice frowned. That was odd - she remembered the shopkeeper practically having a heart attack, saying that it was there by mistake and it wasn't for sale. "Ooh, that's pretty," Holly commented, pointing at it.

"Yeah," Alice said in puzzlement.

"I'm going to find out how much it is," Holly said, pushing open the door.

The shop was dark and even more dingy looking than it had been the last time. "But Holly," Alice began, as they made their way to the counter, "the man said it wasn't for sale last time, and even if it is, I bet it's really expensive..."

"My parents sent me some money for my birthday," Holly shrugged.

"But -" Alice's voice was cut short as they stopped at the counter and she realised that the man wasn't there. Instead, sitting looking bored, was a young witch, who didn't look that much older than them. Alice thought she vaguely recognised her as being a couple of years above them at Hogwarts.

"Hi," Holly said brightly. "I was interested in that cloak fastener in the window."

With a great sigh, the witch got up and followed the girls to the window.

"Where's the man who was here last time?" Alice asked curiously.

"He's my uncle," the witch said in a bored tone. "He's away for a few days, so I'm watching the shop for him."

"But I'm sure he said last time that cloak fastener wasn't for sale," Alice pressed.

The witch shrugged. "He didn't say anything about it to me, so as far as I'm concerned, it's for sale."

"How much?" Holly asked.

The witch squinted as she studied the fastener. "Five Galleons?" she said questioningly.

"That's great," Holly beamed, handing over the money. Alice watched as Holly fastened it to her cloak. She didn't have a very good feeling about this, but she didn't very well want to say so to Holly. Instead, she bit her lip and followed Holly back to the Three Broomsticks.

On the way there, they passed by Malfoy and Snape, who were talking in hushed voices. They stopped immediately as the girls approached and glared at them as if they were scum.

Alice and Holly stared back defiantly. "Wonder what they're planning?" Holly asked aloud, when they had passed.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out," Alice said grimly. She had finally figured out what she could do to help. She would spy on Malfoy and Snape, and the first chance she got, she was going to bust them. It was obvious, even to people like Dumbledore, that they were working with the Death Eaters, maybe even planning to join them once school was over. She was going to find out exactly what they were planning.

James and Lily were sat with the others went they went into the pub. "James, can I borrow your map of Hogwarts?" Alice asked.

"What? Oh... sure," James said distractedly, and passed it over. Alice noticed the expression of horror on Sirius' face.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of your baby," Alice said sarcastically, tucking it into her robes. "You'll have it back very soon."

At least, she _hoped_.

**A/N: Next chapter, the girls find out about Remus' "furry little problem"... ooh!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Just in case I haven't mentioned it before, reviews are appreciated! I like to know what people think of my writing! ;) **

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Every chance she got, Alice would take out the map and pore over it, watching the dots of Malfoy and Snape, looking for anything suspicious. Over the next two days, however, nothing interesting happened at all. Refusing to be disheartened, Alice set her alarm to wake her up in the middle of the night to pore over the map and see if anything was happening, but Snape and Malfoy never left the Slytherin dungeons at night.

Belinda, of course, complained wholeheartedly about Alice's alarm going off in the middle of the night, so Alice slept with it under her pillow, which made for a wholly uncomfortable night's sleep. In the morning, there would be dark circles under her eyes and she had difficulty concentrating on her classes, but she felt that if she just caught Snape and Malfoy doing something, _anything_, she wouldn't have to feel so hopeless any more about her uncle's death.

"You're wearing yourself out, Alice," Lily commented, on the third day of Alice's constant poring over the map.

"I don't care," Alice said stubbornly. "I know I'll catch them, I just know it."

"Maybe you ought to just leave it for one night?" Holly suggested gently. "After all, you've got the exams to think about."

"The one night I stop watching this map is the one night they will do something," Alice replied, scanning the map furtively. "I can't bear to think of anyone else getting hurt, I just can't."

"It's not your responsibility, you know," Lily reprimanded her. "And anyway, who will you go to if you do see something? Dumbledore still isn't back, in case you hadn't noticed."

Alice had noticed, and it was worrying her. For Dumbledore to go away at such a crucial time was a shock to her; it must be something extremely important to drag him away from Hogwarts. She didn't like to think what would happen if things kicked off without him being there.

"I'll go to McGonagall, she's the deputy head," Alice said. "Or I'll go after them myself."

She could feel Lily and Holly exchanging glances over the top of her head, but she ignored them. She didn't care what they thought. Something had to be done, and since no one else seemed to be taking action, she would do it herself.

Her chance came that very night. She had set her alarm as usual, and had spent a good half hour gazing at the dots on the map. Her heart leapt into her throat as she saw the dots of Snape and Malfoy begin to move from their dormitory and out of the Slytherin common room.

Her heart beating fast, Alice leapt out of bed and crept silently out of the Ravenclaw tower. Snape and Malfoy were journeying out of the dungeons, and climbing the stairs. Where were they going?

Alice checked the map to see that Filch was nowhere around. He was prowling around near the kitchens, miles away from where she was standing. She wasn't worried about being caught; she had the map, after all. However, she hesitated at the top of the stairs. There were two of them, and one of her... maybe she ought to wake up Lily and Holly. Hurrying back through the suits of armour and into the common room, she gathered up some parchment and a quill.

Knowing her friends would be extremely pissed off with her, but not caring, Alice sped to the Owlery to send an owl to the Gryffindor tower. There weren't many owls there at that time of night; most of them were out hunting. Alice selected the smaller of the two that were there, whispered who the note was for, and ordered the owl not to leave until Lily and Holly had woken up. She watched as the owl flew out the window, illuminated by the light of the full moon.

Alice checked the map again; Snape and Malfoy were in the entrance hall. Alice crept silently to the Gryffindor tower; however, on the way there, she saw the dots labelled James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew leaving the Gryffindor dormitory.

Alice frowned. Where the hell were they going?

Silently she made her way to the Gryffindor portrait hole, being careful to linger in the shadows. The four Marauders were just about to leave through the portrait hole, and Alice stayed well back so she wouldn't be seen.

The portrait hole opened. "...can't believe it, Prongs," Sirius was complaining in hushed tones.

"Sorry," James snapped back. "I forgot I'd lent the map to Alice. In case you haven't noticed, I've had other things on my mind lately."

"Yeah, I know, mate..." Sirius said, sounding ashamed. "Sorry."

"Well, at least we've got the cloak," Peter piped up, and James and Sirius shushed him.

"Yeah, well the cloak will cover you, Prongs and Moony, if you transform first," Sirius replied. "We'll just have to be quiet as we can... it's important that at least three of us get there on time. If I get caught, you three can go on without me."

Remus, who hadn't said anything, was looking like death. Alice hadn't noticed she had been holding her breath until she realised her chest was hurting and exhaled with a soft whoosh, which luckily went unnoticed. Alice's mind was spinning. Get there on time? Peter transforming... into _what_, exactly? She had never been more confused, and also, intrigued.

James threw the cloak over himself, Remus and Peter. "Let's go," Sirius said quietly, and began to creep down the corridor. Alice couldn't see the others, but presumed they were following and shifted from one foot to the other. Where were Lily and Holly?

It wasn't long before she saw them stirring from the dormitory, and make their way to the portrait hole. She stepped forward to meet them.

Lily looked angry as she climbed out, her hair tousled from sleep. "Alice, what the bloody hell are you playing at?"

"Shhh!" Alice hissed. "Look, I just saw James and the others leaving, I don't know where they're going but we have to follow them."

"What?" Lily looked confused.

"Your boyfriend," Alice reminded her. "And Holly's boyfriend, and Sirius and Peter, leaving their dormitory with the Invisibility Cloak and sneaking out. We have to see what they're up to."

Lily's jaw was set. "I am sick and tired of James keeping secrets from me," she snapped. "Let's go."

The three girls picked their way down the stairs, making sure to keep a safe distance away from James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. Holly's eyes were huge in the darkness, and she looked nervous. "Maybe we shouldn't be doing this," she whispered. "I mean, it might be something really dangerous..."

"That's exactly why we need to get involved," Lily replied in hushed tones. "If they're up to something really dangerous, we need to get them to stop straightaway. Or at least let them know that we know; that they shouldn't be keeping things from their girlfriends... and Alice," she added.

Alice raised her eyebrows with a forced grin. "Cheers."

They continued along the corridors, making their way to the Entrance Hall. "They're going outside," Alice hissed, holding her breath as she watched the dots on the map leave the school.

"We better hurry up, then, they won't show up on the map any more," Lily replied. Alice had never seen her so determined, or Holly so anxious.

The three of them scuttled to the heavy doors and pushed them open. Sirius, apparently alone, was heading towards the Forbidden Forest. "Where are the others?" Holly asked.

"Under the cloak, remember I told you?" whispered Alice.

"They're heading towards where they took us before," Lily said quietly. "Remember, for Holly's birthday? Through the tree and into the Shrieking Shack. I always wondered how they knew how to get there through the Whomping Willow."

Alice had wondered the same thing; however she knew it had been pointless asking - the Marauders would never reveal their secrets if they didn't want to. Still, she was furious with James for being so reckless. Were they off to pull some stupid prank, right after his father had died? It surely couldn't be that... still, it was damn stupid of them to be leaving the castle in the middle of the night, especially in times like these.

"That's it," Lily snapped, obviously thinking along the same lines as Alice. "I'm going to confront them."

"Lily, _no_!" Holly said, sounding horrified. Lily ignored her and took off after Sirius. Alice and Holly both watched as Lily catapaulted onto Sirius, knocking him to the ground just as Alice had done to James a couple of days ago.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Alice grumbled, as she and Holly dashed after the others. Their cover was well and truly blown, and there was no way the four Marauders would tell them what they were up to now.

"Gerroff!" Sirius was saying in a muffled voice, as Lily pinned him down. James, Remus and Peter came into view as James threw the cloak off them. He was white-faced.

"Lily, what are you doing?" he asked, in a voice filled with complete terror.

"I am following you, James Potter," Lily snapped, her elbow in the small of Sirius' back. Alice was pretty impressed; for such a small person, Lily had some strength behind her. "I am your girlfriend and I deserve to know where you are sneaking off to in the middle of the night!"

"Lily," James said hoarsely, looking up into the sky, "this is not a good time -"

"No, it's a damn perfect time," Lily retorted, seemingly oblivious to James and Peter's pale faces and Remus' look of sheer horror. "I can't believe you'd do something so stupid, James, I really don't. After what happened... how can you risk -"

"_Lily_," James stressed, his eyes bulging. "Please, please can we talk about this later? I'll explain everything, I promise, but right now -"

"Stop trying to fob me off, James!" screeched Lily, looking furious. Alice and Holly exchanged worried glances; they had noticed the terrified faces of the Marauders, even if Lily hadn't.

The moonlight illuminated all seven of them for a second, and then Holly gave a little gasp of horror. Alice turned to see what she was looking at.

Remus' arms had begun shaking, shortly followed by his legs. Lily had broken off her tirade at James and was watching, with a sick kind of fascination. "What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"Lily, GET OFF HIM, NOW!" James roared, leaping forward to pull Lily off Sirius.

Lily started. James had never spoken to her like that before. Sirius got up, looking ashen-faced. "It's too late," he whispered. "He's changing."

"Get out of here!" James shouted at Alice, Lily and Holly. None of them moved, they stood, rooted to the spot, staring at Remus in horror. Alice thought she had guessed what was the matter, and by the look on Holly's face, she had too.

"We need to go, _now_," she said forcefully, grabbing hold of Holly's hand. Holly looked like she was going to be sick, but didn't move from where she stood. "Holly, let's move," Alice repeated, but to no avail.

Remus' body was now convusling; hair was beginning to sprout over his body. Alice watched, unable to tear her eyes away, even though every part of her body was screaming, "Run!" She felt Lily tug on her arm and snapped out of her reverie as the transformation completed. Remus was a werewolf, and as he tilted his head to howl at the moon, a spasm of fear jolted Alice's body.

"Holly, come on, please!" she cried, yanking at Holly's hand. They had to get out of here, or they would all be killed.

The werewolf let out a terrible snarl, turning to face the girls. Alice groped for her wand, her hand shaking, but couldn't find it. Had she brought it with her? She heard a terrible scream as the werewolf began to charge towards them, whether from Lily or Holly she didn't know, and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain, but it never came. Instead, she heard a howl of pain and opened her eyes to see what was going on.

An enormous black dog had leapt as if from nowhere onto the werewolf, and was now sinking its teeth into the werewolf's back. Alice turned to the others. Lily had fallen to the ground; she was crouched down, eyes full of fear. Holly was making little whimpering sounds and Alice tried to block out the snarls and growls coming from behind her.

"We need to get the others and get away from here," she said in a shaking voice. "Where did the dog come from?"

"S-Sirius," stuttered Holly.

"What?"

"It's Sirius," Holly said again. "H-he turned into a dog when Remus - the werewolf -" Holly broke off.

Lily raised a hand to point. Alice turned just in time to see James transform into a magnificent stag, which galloped over to help the dog out.

The truth dawned on Alice - why the four of them knew how to get into the Whomping Willow, why they went sneaking off at night so many times...

"They're Animagi," Lily said, sounding awed.

Alice backed away, pulling Holly with her, as the fierce battle in front of them continued. The dog and the stag were attempting to pin the werewolf down, but the werewolf was slashing at them with its claws and snapping with its teeth. Lily gave a little scream as blood began to stream out of a wound in the stag.

"We have to do something!" Holly said.

"You're right," Alice agreed. Peter had now hurried over to join them, looking horrified at the scene that was playing in front of them. "Peter, can you help them?"

"Not really," Peter squeaked. "My Animagus form is a rat; there's not a lot I can do..."

"OK," Alice said, thinking fast. "Then on the count of three, all four of us need to cast the Body-Bindspell. Everyone got their wands?"

Lily, Holly and Peter nodded. "Four strong spells should be enough to stun the werewolf. Everyone ready?"

The four of them pulled their wands out. "Three... two... one... go!" Alice shouted.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!"

The jets of light hit the werewolf with full force. It gave a great shuddering howl and rolled over, completely still.

"Thank God," Lily muttered, shaken. "They won't become werewolves now, will they?"

"No," Alice and Holly spoke together. "Werewolf bites don't affect Animagi," Alice finished.

James and Sirius transformed back to their human selves, scratched and clawed to pieces, their clothes torn. Lily ran over to James immediately. "You both need to get to the hospital wing," she cried, putting her arms around James. Blood was pouring out of his shoulder and his face was a sickly green.

"No," James said at once. "There's no way we could explain this, Madam Pomfrey would know we'd been with him."

"She won't ask questions; you know she won't," Lily pleaded. "James, you're badly hurt -"

"We have to get Moony into the Shrieking Shack," James went on, ignoring Lily. Sirius nodded in agreement, wiping a trickle of blood from his forehead. "The spell won't last for long on a werewolf."

Peter ran over to help; the three of them began dragging the werewolf's limp body towards the Whomping Willow.

"James -"

"Go back up to the school, Lily," James said firmly. "We'll talk in the morning."

Lily didn't argue. Shocked and shaken by what they had seen, the three girls made their way back up to the castle, not uttering a word to each other the whole way back.

"Where _are _they?"

It was breakfast the next morning, and Lily was fretting. She had barely touched the food on her plate.

"They'll be here soon, Lily, they're probably just tired," Alice reassured her.

Holly was ashen-faced and she, like Lily, had only taken a couple of bites of toast. She hadn't spoken at all so far, and Alice didn't want to push her. This was a huge shock to all of them.

_It's just one thing after another, _Alice thought grimly. She could have killed the guys for keeping a secret like this for so long. Did the teachers know? They must do, Alice told herself. But James and the others weren't registered Animagi, otherwise they would have told people. Trust them to do something so bloody stupid and illegal - becoming an Animagus took a lot of work, and was extremely difficult to master. It was possible that the teachers knew Remus was a werewolf, but not that the other three were Animagi. That made more sense.

"Look!" Holly pointed.

Sirius, Remus and Peter were entering the Great Hall, all of them looking worse for wear. Sirius and Remus both had vicious-looking cuts and scratches all over them, and Remus looked as pale as death. Peter looked like he was about to fall asleep as the three of them crossed the hall and sat down next to the girls.

"Where's James?" Lily asked anxiously.

"Hospital," Sirius said shortly. "He passed out when we got to the Shack; Wormtail and I had to carry him back up to school."

"Is he OK?"

"He's fine, but he's still sleeping," Sirius said. Glancing around to check that no-one was listening, he lowered his voice and leaned in to the girls. "Madam Pomfrey was OK. She knows Remus is a werewolf, she just doesn't know that we go out with him when he transforms, that's all. I think she might have guessed by now, though."

"Thank God," Lily said, collapsing backwards. Sirius gave her a funny look.

"It wouldn't have happened at all if you three hadn't been stupid enough to follow us," he said sharply.

Lily glared at him. "How dare you say that, Sirius! How were we supposed to know what would happen?"

"You should have minded your own business," Sirius snapped.

Alice's own temper flared. "It is our damn business, Sirius. James is my cousin and Lily's boyfriend. Remus is Holly's boyfriend. We have a right to know what is going on. I just can't believe you betrayed us like this, keeping it a secret for who knows how long?"

"How would you like it if it was you?" Sirius replied. "And as a matter of fact, we wanted to tell you, but Moony was the one who wanted to keep it secret."

Alice and Lily turned to look at Remus, who was a shade of bright scarlet. "I didn't - I mean - Holly, I thought -"

"You thought she wouldn't want to be with you any more," Alice said, finally understanding what the conversation between he and Sirius had been about that evening she had heard them in the classroom.

Remus looked down miserably at his plate. Holly slid along the bench until she was next to him, and put her hand over his.

"Remember when we first spoke to each other properly? Remember the book I was reading?" she asked softly.

Remus smiled. "_Werewolves... Cold Blooded Killers Or Innocent Men_?" he said quietly, so nobody overhead.

Holly nodded. "Remus, that still stands with me. I don't love you any less because you're a werewolf. I just can't believe you didn't tell me sooner - although I understand why you didn't. But you should know me well enough by now to know that it wouldn't bother me."

Remus turned to Holly, relief written all over his face. "Holly, that means so much to me... I wanted to tell you, I just didn't know how you'd react... I know this is a bit of a shock, but you're so understanding..."

"Yeah, just keep your fangs to yourself," Alice kidded. She turned to Sirius. "So, you guys became Animagi, to help him out when he transforms?" she said in a hushed tone.

"Yeah," Sirius admitted. "We finally managed it in our third year."

"Your _third year_?" Lily asked incredulously. "But that's really advanced magic!"

Sirius puffed up a little. "Well, what can I say..."

Alice socked him in the chest. "Bighead."

"So, do all the teachers know?" Lily inquired.

"Yeah," Sirius shrugged. "They had to, didn't they? For everyone's safety. Thing is, none of them know we're Animagi... it's illegal and all, not to register yourself..."

"Yeah, we know," Alice said dryly. "I can't believe you didn't even tell Dumbledore."

"We can't. We'd get into major trouble."

"Yeah, and trouble is your middle name," Alice muttered with a smirk, reaching for her goblet.

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**A/N: Next chapter, James' father's funeral, and Dumbledore returns. Only 4 chapters to go before the end... sniff.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:****After****yet****another****hiatus,****I****am****back****writing.****I****promise****you,****this****story****is****my****baby****and****I****refuse****to****abandon****it.****I've****got****right****back****into****the****flow,****fresh****with****ideas!****Anyway,****here****is****Chapter****20,****the****funeral.**

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James was up and about that very evening, none the worse for wear after the little misadventure the night before. He was pale and drawn, though, and Alice knew that he was thinking about his father's funeral in a few days.

The Marauders had made the girls promise not to say anything to anyone about them being Animagi. For the next two nights they went out with Remus to help him through his transformations, ignoring the objections from Alice, Lily and Holly. Alice thought it was downright reckless of them, running around at night with a werewolf. Anything could happen, any of them could get hurt or even bitten - accidentally, maybe, in their human forms. What would happen then?

Lily and Holly were worried, too, about what could happen. Lily made the suggestion to James that the three girls go along as well, which was shot down immediately. "We don't want to have to save your lives again," Sirius had joked feebly.

Much as Alice hated to admit it, Sirius and James probably had saved their lives that night. Although, if they'd just told them what they were up to in the first place, their lives wouldn't have needed saving, she told herself crossly.

More than once, Alice thought about telling McGonagall. She didn't want to betray their confidence, but what if a situation like that ever happened again? What if someone completely innocent was hurt? Every time the thought crossed her mind, though, she shot it down immediately. It wasn't her place, and James would never forgive her if she did. They could get into a HUGE amount of trouble. She wished Dumbledore would hurry up and get back. Maybe she could confide in him if he were here.

The next few days went by in a whirlwind of revision, and they were handed out exam timetables. However, the girls and the Marauders had made a pact to lay off the revision for tonight, at least, because it was the night before James' father's funeral.

Alice was dreading it. She had never been to a funeral in her life before, and she had never particularly wanted to, either. If you were invited to a funeral, it meant that someone close to you had died, something that she had dreaded her entire life. Unfortunately, now it was happening.

She and the four Marauders had been invited; all of them had met James' father at least once, and knew him as a wonderful man. Lily and Holly hadn't met him - James had invited them to come, but neither of them felt it would be appropriate as they didn't know him. A few of the teachers were going, including McGonagall - they remembered him from school days.

"Do they know which Death Eaters they were?" Alice asked miserably. The seven of them were sitting in the library, the only place where they could really get together. Alice loved being a Ravenclaw, but sometimes it made things a bit awkward as they couldn't all relax together in the common room.

It was the first time anybody had spoken in about ten minutes. James shook his head. "Obviously, two of them were identified, the two that he killed - but there weren't any witnesses. They don't know who else was there."

Silence lapsed around the room again, until Lily feebly suggested that they all go to bed.

Alice agreed and left straight away, not wanting the others to see the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she stay strong, for everyone else's sake?

_Because__you're__a__human__being,_she reminded herself. _You've__got__just__as__much__right__to__feel__emotions__as everyone__else._

That night was a restless one, and by the time her alarm went off, Alice felt as though she had only had about 10 minutes' sleep. Groaning, she rolled over and turned it off, then got up to look in the mirror. As she had suspected, her hair was sticking up from all her tossing and turning, her skin was pale and she had huge bags under her eyes. "Great," she muttered to herself. She was going to make a great impression at the funeral today.

The funeral was to take place at 10am. Alice quickly showered and changed into the outfit she had bought especially - a knee-length black dress, with a matching wrap, and black, low-heeled shoes. Alice never wore dresses, let alone shoes with heels, but today she wanted to look respectable. She took a bit more time than usual over her hair and also put a bit of make-up on to hide the bags under her eyes. Belinda would be proud, she thought grimly, looking over at Belinda's empty bed. She and her friends had already left for classes that morning, along with Emmeline Vance, who had smiled at Alice and wished her luck. What she needed luck for, Alice didn't really know - her uncle was already dead, there wasn't anything she could do about it. She couldn't turn back time, after all.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were waiting for her outside the Great Hall when she got there. They were all dressed appropriately, in smart black robes. Peter's were a little tight around the stomach area, and Alice would have giggled if it wasn't such a serious moment. Even Sirius was looking sombre, not cracking jokes for once.

"Ready?" Alice asked, taking a deep breath.

"No," James replied, drawing in a shaky breath. Alice gave him a watery smile, taking his hand and squeezing his fingers briefly before dropping it. She could feel the tears starting already and mentally pulled herself together. _It__can__wait__until__the__service._

Alice had never been to a funeral in her life, so she didn't know what to expect. It was going to be sad, of course - she guessed that there would be readings, and people who were close to Richard would say a few words about him. The funeral was to be held in Hogsmeade, and she and the four boys set off with heavy hearts.

McGonagall was waiting for them at the cemetery when they arrived. About fifty or so chairs had been set out, with an aisle in the middle of them for the coffin to be carried down. A few of the chairs were already occupied. Alice's parents were sitting in the front row with James' mother, and Alice rushed to them at once.

"Alice," her mother said, enveloping her in a hug as James' mother did the same to him. Tears sparkled in her eyes.

Seeing her parents was all it took for Alice to break down. "Why, Mum?" she sobbed, clutching her mother's robes like a scared little girl. "Why did this happen?"

Alice's mother rocked her like a baby. All Alice wanted was to curl up in a ball and shut her eyes until the whole funeral was over. She didn't know if she could handle this.

Professor McGonagall made her way over to the little group. "This is a terrible time for you, I'm sure," she said, putting a comforting arm on James' shoulder. If it wasn't such a serious situation, Alice would have laughed. Strict, no-nonsense Professor McGonagall, turning sympathetic! She caught Sirius' eye, and he was obviously thinking the same thing as her because he gave her a tiny wink. Alice couldn't help but grin through her tears.

"Are we ready?" James' mother asked, her eyes filled with tears. James nodded, and they made a solemn procession towards chairs in the front row. Alice sat next to her father, with Sirius on the other side. In front of them, a band was setting up. Alice glanced around; she saw a couple of familiar faces, but most of the people she didn't recognise. They must be friends or business associates of James' father.

It was another ten minutes before all the seats were filled. Alice looked behind her; she was half-hoping that Dumbledore would be here for the service. She knew it was a long shot, but she still couldn't help but hope. She wondered if he even knew that Richard was dead. _He__must__do,__McGonagall__must__have__told__him,_she told herself. Whatever business he was doing away from the school, it must be important to keep him away from this.

The band started to play a slow, mournful song, and a hush fell over the assembled guests. Alice couldn't stop a grin from spreading across her face. Her uncle would have _hated_everyone being depressed like this! He would have wanted people to be celebrating his life, not mourning it.

She looked over to see Sirius giving her an odd look. Alice faced forward again, horror-struck. What was she doing, smiling at a funeral! She must be insane! Thank Merlin James and his mother hadn't seen her; they would have thought of her as completely insensitive! A quick glance over at James, however, told her that he was thinking exactly the same thing, as he was struggling to keep a straight face too.

Alice could barely listen to the speeches that were made. Her aunt, James' mother, cried in the middle of hers, but managed to make it to the end. She could tell that James was immensely proud of her for not breaking down, even though she must want to. Alice couldn't imagine what it would be like losing a husband.

Then it was time for the coffin to be carried down the aisle, and Alice let out a choking sob as it passed her, the realisation that her uncle was actually in there hitting her. He was dead, she was never going to see him again. James and his mother were holding hands, tears running down both their faces. Alice wanted to clutch at her father, bawling like a baby, but he was busy consoling her own mother, who was openly weeping.

Alice let the tears run down her cheeks and hugged herself instead, wrapping her arms around her own body tightly, as if she were trying to shrink inside herself. It didn't work though, and she closed her eyes.

Before she could open them again, she felt arms encircling her, holding her tightly. Thinking it was her father, Alice opened her eyes, and almost fell over when she realised it was Sirius.

"What -" she began, but Sirius just pulled her closer, shaking his head. Obviously he had realised that she needed someone at the moment, and much as she hated to admit it, his arms around her were comforting. Alice didn't speak again, just allowed herself to bury her face in his chest and sob her heart out.

When she was done crying and the music came to a stop, Alice pulled herself away. "Thanks," she said, giving Sirius a watery smile. She hadn't realised he could be compassionate like that, but she was grateful for it. Grateful that he had been there when she needed it.

Sirius returned the smile. "No problem. That's what friends are for, right?" He looked at her questioningly.

_Friends._Alice had never thought she would describe herself and Sirius as friends. But right here, right now, everything was being put in perspective for her. It was better to be friends than enemies, and they all needed each other right now. It was definitely time for a truce between her and Sirius.

"Friends," Alice agreed, giving him a genuine smile for the first time in months.

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After the burial and a tearful goodbye to her parents, Alice and the Marauders headed back up to the school to meet Lily and Holly. The two girls were sat on the steps, waiting for them. As soon as they saw them approaching, Lily jumped to her feet.

"How did it go?" she asked tentatively. Alice shook her head, not wanting to talk about it. Lily ran to James and enveloped him in a hug.

"I'm going to my dorm," Alice mumbled. She didn't really want to be around anyone at the moment.

"You shouldn't be by yourself," Sirius said, giving her a disapproving look.

"I'll be fine," Alice replied slightly snippily. "I just want to sleep for a bit."

Without looking at the others, she pushed open the doors and headed into the Entrance Hall. She hadn't got more than a few feet, however, when Professor McGonagall rounded the corner and made a beeline for her.

"Ah, Miss Tyler," she said. "I'm glad I found you. The Headmaster is back, and he wishes to see you."

Alice stopped in her tracks. "Dumbledore's back?" she said, her heart lifting slightly.

"_Professor_Dumbledore, and yes, he is back, Miss Tyler," McGonagall replied. "Would you please report to his office at once."

Alice didn't need telling twice. She bolted along the corridor, her heart hammering and head full of questions. Where had Dumbledore been? What news could he possibly have that he needed to share with her?

Dumbledore was waiting for her outside his office. "Ah, Miss Tyler," he said gravely. "I hope today hasn't been too trying for you."

Alice studied him closely. He looked just the same as always, but there was something in his eyes - they looked tired, and full of anguish. "It's been... difficult," she confessed. "But I've got James and my friends." She didn't add that she had just left them all to go and brood by herself. "Where have you been, Professor? We were all worried!"

"Now is not the time for questions, Miss Tyler," Dumbledore said firmly. "I will explain everything when we are in my office, but for now I must ask you to be patient."

Alice had to bite her lip from retorting, _I've__been__patient__enough__for__the__past__three__weeks._She would never dare cheek Dumbledore, even though she definitely felt like it after today.

They ascended the stairs to Dumbledore's office in silence. Once he was seated, Alice took a seat opposite him and waited.

"Would you like some tea, Miss Tyler?" Dumbledore asked, pouring himself a cup.

"No thanks," Alice replied quickly. She was itching to know where Dumbledore had been.

Dumbledore looked at her over his cup, a twinkle in his eye. "Patience is a virtue, Miss Tyler," he said with a smile. Alice couldn't help but smile back. He obviously knew how desperate she was to know what had been going on.

Dumbledore took a breath before beginning. "When I received your letter about seeing Cameron at Miss Evans' house, I was extremely worried," he said frankly. "Cameron, as you know, seems... to be losing his mind. The fact that he showed up, in broad daylight, in a Muggle town, shows that he is getting very cocky. We cannot have any more tragedy. So I decided to see if I could track him down."

Alice's mouth fell open. She had thought that Dumbledore hadn't taken her letter seriously; she hadn't had a reply from him - and now he was telling her that he had actually gone to try and _find_ her uncle!

"Before I set out, I went to Miss Evans' house, and put protective spells around it," Dumbledore continued. "Without them knowing, of course. I thought that if Cameron tried to return, at least her parents and sister would be safe from harm."

Alice breathed a sigh of relief. Lily had been so worried about her parents, and now she could relax, at least a little.

"Did you find him?" she asked.

"Eventually," Dumbledore replied.

Even after the events of the day, Alice felt a grin breaking out over her face. "Did you take him to the Ministry?"

"No," was Dumbledore's reply.

Alice reeled back, shocked. "What? What did you do with him?"

"We talked," Dumbledore replied. "Miss Tyler, I have known Cameron for years, and I have never known him to have the mind of a killer. I think I have mentioned to you before that I had my suspicions that he could be being controlled, possibly by the Imperius curse. After talking with him, I have determined that he is _not_being controlled."

"Then he acted out of his own free will," Alice said, disgusted. "He belongs behind bars."

"He is a very clever man," Dumbledore remarked. "I have given him a chance to do the right thing."

"What?" Alice gaped. "You let him go?"

"Unfortunately, he Disapparated," Dumbledore said calmly. "But not until after we had our discussion. I have given him the chance to stop what he is doing. To stop following Voldemort, and to come back to our side. If he doesn't, then I will be able to find him again, rest assured."

Alice couldn't believe her ears. Had Dumbledore lost his mind? This man was a cold-blooded murderer, and Dumbledore had just let him vanish? Let him back out onto the streets, maybe to kill one of her friends!

"I know what you're thinking," Dumbledore said quietly. "That I have gone mad. I assure you that I am quite sane, Miss Tyler. I promise you that no one else will come to any harm."

Alice didn't answer.

"This is not a battle, Miss Tyler. This is a war," Dumbledore said seriously, leaning in toward Alice. "We need as many allies as we can. People still have time. Time to decide to do the right thing, to come back over to the right side. There have been enough deaths already."

"Yeah, and he was the cause of some of them," Alice spat.

"Two wrongs do not make a right," Dumbledore said. "Cameron is in deep. If he decides to rejoin us, the information he could provide will be very useful."

"He won't," Alice said. "You didn't see him, when he was in Lily's garden - the way he looked at me -"

"I have known the man for years," Dumbledore said gently. "I trust that he will do the right thing."

Alice's head was swimming. She stood up. "Can I leave now?" she asked. "It's been a difficult day."

Dumbledore nodded, and Alice left the office. Her mind was even more full of questions than it had been before she'd gone in. How could Dumbledore not have captured him? Did he really trust that Cameron would come back over to their side? If he really was in that deep, Alice doubted it. Besides, she'd seen the look in his eyes that day at Lily's. That was a look of pure evil.

As she headed back to the dormitory, for the first time in her life, Alice wondered if Dumbledore had made the wrong decision.

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**A/N:****Dun****dun****DUNNN!****Only****3****more****chapters****before****the****end!****Next****chapter,****the****N.E.W.T.s**


	21. Chapter 21

**Again, after a long hiatus, I'm back! There are only two chapters to go after this one and I have written the epilogue, so rest assured the story will be finished! It's been my baby for so long, I could never abandon it! Sorry for all those who have had to wait so long for this.**

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The Monday after the funeral and Alice's talk with Dumbledore, the NEWTs began. Alice was completely stressed out; she had so much on her mind already without trying to cram seven years' worth of work into there as well. But, she knew these were the most important exams she'd ever have to take, and so over breakfast by the lake on Monday morning, she, Lily and Holly were frantically trying to cram in some last-minute revision.

Charms would be their first exam; they were set out pretty much like the OWLs had been, with the written papers in the morning and practical exams in the afternoon. Lily had been officially voted the resident Charms expert, and was demonstrating how to perform the perfect Shrinking Charm to Alice and Holly.

"Don't flick your wand too dramatically," Lily explained to Holly, who was watching in horror as her piece of toast shrank away to nothing. "You're making the spell too powerful. You need to move your wand more gently."

"Yeah, and you're making our breakfast disappear," Alice teased. Holly was looking absolutely terrified, and although Alice was trying to keep a calm face on, she was feeling exactly the same. Her stomach was in knots; she probably couldn't have eaten anything anyway.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter came strolling up to them. "Practising for the exams?" James asked Lily with a wink.

"More than I can say for you," Lily retorted.

"I already told you, we don't need to practise," James replied. "Me and Padfoot are going to get all O's, you'll see."

"Speak for yourself," Remus said dryly, sitting down next to Holly and putting a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Lily glanced at her watch. "We should probably start heading inside," she said. "The exams will be starting in ten minutes."

The Entrance Hall was packed out with seventh and fifth years; for a fleeting moment Alice wished she were re-taking her OWLs again, they seemed so easy now she was about to start the NEWTs. Professor McGonagall called them all into the Great Hall, and as Alice entered, a sick feeling began in the pit of her stomach. Bile rose up in the back of her throat. What if she messed up? These exams were crucial to her entire future. She wouldn't get another chance. What if she panicked and forgot everything?

Behind her, Lily gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You'll be great," she whispered. "You're a Ravenclaw, remember? Smart is your middle name!"

Alice turned around and gave Lily a small smile. That was why Lily was her best friend; she always seemed to know what Alice was thinking.

"I hope so," Alice whispered back. She took a deep breath, let go of Lily's hand and took her seat.

The exam didn't go as badly as Alice had thought, although she did mess up on a couple of questions. She hoped she would get an E, at least. The practical exam was after lunch, and this was the part that Alice was dreading the most. She had always been better at the written exams than practical ones. But, much to her delight, it went a lot better than she had hoped, and she very successfully made the knight that the examiners had borrowed from the Entrance Hall come to life and perform a tap dance. Professor Marchbanks, the tiny wizened little examiner, remembered Alice from the OWLs and told her she had done a fine job. Alice left the exam room joyfully, her spirits lifted. If all the exams went like this, it wouldn't be too bad. And tomorrow was Transfiguration, her strongest subject.

Alice found Lily and Holly, who had already taken the exam, lying on the grass outside, soaking up the early summer sun. "How did it go?" Lily asked as Alice approached.

"Not bad," Alice said breezily, flopping down next to her friends. "At least that's one over and done with."

"Yeah, but Charms was the easy part," Lily pointed out. "We've got Transfiguration tomorrow."

Alice noticed the panicked look on Holly's face; Transfiguration was not her strong point. "Why don't I help you guys revise after dinner?" Alice suggested. "Only if you help me out with my Muggle Studies, though!"

"Agreed," Lily said with a grin.

The Transfiguration exam the next day went well for Alice. She sailed through the written paper before heading off to lunch with a beaming smile on her face. Even Belinda shooting her a dirty look as she passed her in the doorway didn't sour her mood. "Maybe these two weeks won't be as bad as I thought," Alice announced at the lunch table, tucking into steak and kidney pudding.

"Speak for yourself!" Holly replied. "I don't think I did too well on that paper..."

"Holly, you'll be fine," Lily said, giving her a quick hug. "I bet you did better than you think."

"I hope Belinda and her friends fail all their exams," Alice said gaily as Belinda, Jen and Suzanne passed them, heading to the Ravenclaw table. "Oh, and Malfoy and the others."

"Alice!" Holly reprimanded her. "That's really mean."

"What?" Alice said innocently, grinning at Holly. "I'm only joking... sort of."

Herbology, the next day, went reasonably well too. This was one of Holly's stronger subjects, and she seemed to visibly relax throughout the exam. She seemed a lot more talkative that night, much to Alice's relief. She had been so worried the past few days about doing well; it was good for her to finally have an exam she felt comfortable in, to boost her self-confidence a little.

Alice and the girls spent the evening with James and his friends, revising for Defence Against the Dark Arts. This proved the be the most challenging exam yet, although James and Sirius were confident that they had passed with flying colours. "Arrogance is so unattractive," Alice remarked, as James bragged yet again that he and Sirius were going to get "O"s.

"You're just jealous that we're going to get better marks than you," James grinned.

"James, in our entire seven years here at Hogwarts, there is only once subject that you have been able to beat me at," Alice retorted.

"Yeah, which is Defence Against the Dark Arts," James pointed out with a smirk. "I can't help being naturally gifted at it."

"Shut up, James," Lily said, elbowing her boyfriend with a roll of her eyes.

Friday's exam was Ancient Runes, which none of them took apart from Remus, so the day was spent lazing around by the lake. Unfortunately, Alice's panic had started to mount again - Potions was on Monday and that was one of Alice's weaker spots.

"Revision is banned today," Sirius announced as soon as they had all settled by the lake. Alice had already got out her copy of Advanced Potion-Making.

Alice ignored him and opened the book. Since the funeral, the two of them had been in a sort of unspoken truce. He had been there for her when she needed comforting, and that had meant a lot to her. They weren't proper friends - far from it, in fact - but Alice was prepared to take it one day at a time. No matter how annoying he could be sometimes.

Sirius whipped the book out of her hands as quickly as she had opened it up.

_Annoying most of the time, in fact. _Alice sighed. "Sirius, do you mind?" she said, glaring at him.

"Revision is banned today," Sirius repeated with a grin. "It's too nice a day to be sitting around with your nose in a book."

"Some of us care about doing well, you know," Alice retorted, trying in vain to grab her book back. Sirius fended her off easily.

"I do care about doing well," Sirius replied. "I just don't twist myself up in knots worrying about it, that's all."

"How can you be so nonchalant?" Alice asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I just can," Sirius said cheekily. "And I'll do great even without stressing myself out, you'll see. You need to take a more relaxed attitude towards life, Tyler."

"So you've told me a million and one times," Alice said, crossing her arms and preparing to go into a sulk for the rest of the day. However, Sirius was right about one thing; it was a nice day, and soon Alice felt herself relaxing slightly. She had been cramming non-stop the past few weeks; maybe it _would _do her good to give the revision a break.

"Can you believe than in just a couple of weeks, we'll be leaving Hogwarts?" Holly asked, looking around at her friends.

It was a weird feeling, Alice mused. Hogwarts had been such a huge part of her life over the last seven years; it was weird thinking that they wouldn't be coming back. On top of that, she still wasn't completely sure what career she wanted, and she didn't have a lot of time to decide either. James, Sirius and Lily all wanted to be Aurors, but that wasn't really something Alice thought she wanted to do for a living. She had considered becoming a Healer like her mother, but she wasn't sure if that was right for her, either. She had always been very academic and enjoyed her studies, but she had never really given much thought to what she would do when it was all over.

At least she wasn't the only one; Holly wasn't too sure either. The two of them had made up their minds to talk to career advisors before school ended and see if that would be of any help.

"I can't believe we got through this last year without James and Lily killing each other," Peter put in cheekily, interrupting Alice's thoughts.

"More like Alice and Sirius," Lily added, sticking her tongue out at Peter.

Alice silently cursed her best friend for reminding everyone of her and Sirius's stupid behaviour over the past year. "We've grown up a little, thank you very much," she said haughtily. "Besides, we've got more important things to think about now." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sirius looking at her, grinning. She gave him a small smile back.

The weekend went by much too quickly, and before Alice knew it, it was the dreaded Potions exam. Truth be told, she didn't pay quite so much attention in Professor Slughorn's classes as she did in her others, mainly because she thought the man was an absolute idiot. He had his favourites, and Alice wasn't one of them. She had no respect for teachers like him.

The written paper went better than the practical one, which was what Alice had expected, but after the exam was over, she had the feeling that she probably hadn't done quite as well as she liked. It was the first time she'd had that feeling so far in her exams, and hopefully it would be the last.

Tuesday's exam was Care of Magical Creatures for Lily and Holly, and Muggle Studies for Alice. She felt fairly confident with this one; although there were a couple of things that still baffled her, her two best friends were both Muggle-born, so she had had a lot of help from them both. After that there were only two exams left to take.

Lily and Holly were visibly relaxed now; they only had Divination and Astronomy to take, which were relatively easy subjects. Alice, on the other hand, had Arithmancy, which although she didn't dislike like she did Potions, was still one of the most difficult subjects. The practical Astronomy paper went fine, and to her surprise, so did the Arithmancy one. It was a challenging exam, but not one where she found she couldn't answer any of the questions. That night, after the practical Astronomy exam, she bid goodnight to Lily and Holly and went straight up to her dormitory. The three of them were too exhausted to really talk, and planned to relax together the following day.

The rest of Alice's dorm mates were already there, but none of them were asleep yet. Belinda, Suzanne and Jen were gathered on Belinda's bed, twittering like three birds. Alice rolled her eyes and sank down next to Emmeline Vance.

"How did everything go?" Emmeline asked, smiling.

"Fine," Alice yawned. "Well, mostly fine, anyway. Potions and Arithmancy were a bit tricky, but I hope they both went OK. How were yours?"

"Not too bad," Emmeline agreed. "Hestia and I have been working like crazy this week." Hestia Jones was Emmeline's best friend, in Hufflepuff. "I feel like I could sleep for a week now, though!"

"Tell me about it," Alice groaned.

There was only a week left now before school was over for good. Career advisors were coming in next week to talk to them about their options. The Ministry was offering conditional jobs to the students leaving school, dependent on their NEWT results which would arrive in July. It was time for Alice to decide what she wanted to do with her life.

Her musings were cut short by the sound of Belinda's rude voice. "I saw Sirius Black with his arm around you last week."

"So?" Alice said tiredly. All she wanted to do now was go to bed. She couldn't be bothered to deal with Belinda's pathetic comments now.

"You can say what you like, but I still think you're shagging him," Belinda said crudely.

Alice turned to face her. "I'm not 'shagging' him, Belinda - nice choice of words, by the way. Just because you jump into bed with any guy who looks your way - David, for example - doesn't mean I do, too. Some of us have more class than that," she growled, hoping that Belinda would leave it at that.

Belinda sneered. "It's not my fault that Lily Evans is too boring to keep her boyfriend interested -" Her sentence was cut short, however, by Alice storming over to Belinda's bed and slapping her in the face.

Alice was shocked at herself - she had never been physically violent; she preferred to use her wand, and she didn't really know why she had done it. Belinda deserved it, of course, but that didn't mean she should behave that way. Maybe it was the stress and toll of the exams, or maybe it was because Belinda was insulting her best friend - yet _again_. That was something Alice had never been able to stand.

Emmeline had come over now, and put a restraining hand on Alice's shoulder. "Don't let her get to you, Alice," she said calmly. "Like you said, you and Lily have more class than her. You don't need to stoop to her level."

Belinda had a malicious look in her eye, her cheek pink. She was smirking; knowing she had gotten a rise out of Alice, and that made Alice even more angry. She knew Emmeline was right, however, and spun on her heel to go to bed. _Only a week, _she reminded herself. _Only a week, and you never have to see that horrible little bitch again._

"You're going to regret that," she heard Belinda call over.

"Shut your mouth," Alice snapped, climbing into bed and pulling the covers over her head.

Emmeline put a hand on her arm. Alice couldn't see her, but she could hear her talking. "Just ignore her," she said softly. "She's just jealous; she's a nasty piece of work."

"I know," Alice said softly. "Thanks, Emmeline."

Luckily, Belinda didn't goad her any more, and the room fell silent. Alice's breathing was heavy; she was tryng to calm herself down. It took a while, but finally she fell into a deep, if uneasy, sleep.

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Alice awoke the next morning to find her dorm mates already gone. _Thank Merlin, _she thought to herself, and decided not to tell Lily and Holly about her altercation with Belinda the night before. There wasn't any point in dwelling on it. Belinda really hated her for some bizarre reason, but there was no need to drag her friends into this business.

It wasn't until she was on her way to breakfast, though, that she saw Belinda standing in the corridor, having an intense discussion with _Lucius Malfoy._

Alice stopped, shocked. She had never even seen Belinda _look _at Malfoy before! Maybe she was trying to steal him from Narcissa. After all, Belinda seemed to be an expert at stealing other people's boyfriends. That didn't seem to be what it was, though. They were talking quietly, their heads together, but it didn't seem to be an intimate conversation.

Alice frowned. She knew Malfoy was mixed up in some dodgy business, but _Belinda_? Sure, she wasn't one of Alice's favourite people, but Alice just figured her to be a mean bitch. She definitely hadn't thought of her as the Dark Arts type!

Just at that moment, Malfoy looked up and caught her eye. He gave her a cold smirk, which caused Belinda to look up and turn towards Alice too. The smug expression on her face made Alice's blood boil. She scrunched up her nose at the two of them, to show she didn't give a damn what they thought of her, and sailed into the Great Hall.

Lily, Holly, James and the rest were all eating breakfast when Alice entered. "Has something happened between you and Belinda again?" Holly asked with a frown.

"Why?" Alice asked as casually as possible.

"Oh, she's just glaring daggers at you across the room," Holly replied.

"So what else is new?" Alice shrugged. "She's got a weird kind of vendetta against me, for some reason."

"Was that _Malfoy _she was talking with?" James asked with a scowl, watching the blond Slytherin make his way back to his own table.

"Yeah, I saw them out in the corridor," Alice said, spreading marmalade on her toast.

"Alice, you want to be careful," Sirius said, raising his eyebrows. "You know he's been pissed off at you ever since the Christmas ball, and if he and Belinda are planning something..."

"I don't care," Alice said idly. And at that moment, she really didn't. She looked at her friends, all glaring back at Malfoy and Belinda, and felt a rush of affection for them all. There was only a week left to go of school, and with all her friends here for her, what else could possibly go wrong?

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**Famous last words! This chapter was sort of a filler, and we've got a lot of action coming up in the next two chapters. Also, to warn you, yes, there is a character death in the next chapter!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: The penultimate chapter! Gave me a little trouble, but it's done, and yes, there is a character death at the end! Sob!**

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The exams were over, but there was still a lot to do. Even though there were no classes for the seventh years now, the next day, the career advisors from the Ministry were coming to Hogwarts to talk to them about their options, pending their exam results. This was the part Alice had been dreading slightly. How could she walk in there not having the faintest idea of what she wanted to do?

"That's what they're there for," Lily assured her. "You've just got to think about your strengths and weaknesses, and they'll help you with the rest."

Her strengths and weaknesses? Alice tried to think. She was good at Transfiguration, and Arithmancy - numbers and facts. What about her weaknesses? Potions?

"What would you guys say my weaknesses are?" Alice asked Lily and Holly. They looked at each other nervously.

"Is there any right answer here?" Holly asked. "How can we say anything without offending you?"

"I can take it," Alice teased. "Go ahead."

"Well, you're not really a people person, are you?" Lily winked. Alice could have cheerfully strangled her best friend right then, although she supposed if Lily couldn't say things to her face, then no one could.

"What exactly does that mean?" Alice asked with a frown.

"Well, you know - sometimes the things you say, they can come across a bit harsh," Lily supplied.

"What? Are you saying I'm a bitch like Belinda?" Alice asked, horrified.

"No!" Lily said hastily, exchanging glances with Holly. "What I mean is, Belinda's two-faced and sneaky - you say things as they are, you're nothing like her. But sometimes the way you say things come across as really blunt."

"Like what? May I have an example?" Alice crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

Neither Lily nor Holly said anything. Holly went back to reading the Daily Prophet and tried to change the subject. "You know, it might be a cool job to write the horoscope section for the newspaper," she commented.

"Don't you have to be a Seer for that, or something?" Lily asked.

"Oh, come on, Holly, horoscopes are a load of bullshit anyway," Alice said moodily, throwing herself down to sit next to her friends.

Holly glanced up at her over the top of the newspaper, and Lily turned to look too, her eyebrows raised. "Oh..." Alice said slowly. "You're talking about stuff like that, aren't you?"

Holly nodded. Alice sighed. "OK, OK. Time to work on my people skills, I guess."

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The next day, Alice awoke bright and early. She showered and changed and was out of the dormitory while the others were just beginning to rouse themselves.

Lily and Holly were waiting for her outside the Great Hall. "Ready to go and meet our fate?" Holly asked with a wink.

Alice grabbed an arm of each of her friends. "This is it," she said, glancing from the blonde to the redhead, raising her eyebrows dramatically and ignoring the curious glances of her fellow seventh-years. "Our future awaits us in this very hall, and it's time for us to go and meet it head on! Are you sure we're ready for this? Lily, what do you think?"

"I think my best friend is insane," Lily replied, grabbing Alice's arm and dragging her reluctantly through the doors.

It was still early; way too early for a lot of the students to have been awake, considering exams were now over. There was only a handful of other people there so far - including, Alice was surprised to see, the four Marauders.

Lily and Holly waved to their respective boyfriends and immediately made a beeline for them. Alice followed behind, passing a booth with a sign above that read, "Stout heart? Sense of adventure? Maybe you've got what it takes to work with dragons!" Alice eyed the booth with trepidation. The wizard manning it had a black eye and several burns along his neck and arms.

_Maybe not._

James was looking at Alice with a grin. "Don't fancy dragon-taming then?" he teased.

"Seems more like your kind of thing," Alice smirked back. "Stout heart, sense of adventure... completely stupid..."

James put a hand on his heart. "You flatter me!"

Alice gave him a shove. "It's not a compliment!"

The seven of them wandered around the booths, as the rest of the students began to file through the doors. Holly seemed very interested in the Muggle Relations booth, something which Alice knew she probably wasn't cut out for - she did fairly well in Muggle Studies, but she didn't think she had enough knowledge of the Muggle world to do it for a living. Even if her two best friends were Muggle-born.

James, Sirius and Lily wanted to stop and spend a while at the Auror booth. Alice sighed, shifting from one foot to the other as she hung back. There was nothing here that was grabbing her attention - none of these careers seemed _right _for her! She was starting to feel a little bit panicked. What was she going to do? Be forced to get a job in something she wasn't really interested in; something she didn't want to do? Alice couldn't bear the thought. She scanned the room again wildly. There had to be _something_ here for her!

Her thoughts were interrupted by Professor Flitwick approaching her.

"Ah, there you are, Miss Tyler!" he smiled. "I've been looking for you."

"Why, sir?" Alice asked curiously.

Professor Flitwick gestured around the room. "Has anything here caught your eye?"

Alice blushed. "Well - there's a lot of choice, sir, and I've not quite made up my mind yet," she answered honestly.

To her surprise, Professor Flitwick was still smiling.

"That's just what I wanted to hear," he said in his squeaky voice. "Will you come with me please, Miss Tyler?"

Alice cast a look over her shoulder as she followed her Head of House out of the Great Hall. Lily, Holly, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were all staring after her curiously. She lifted one shoulder in a shrug, as if to say, _I don't know what's going on any more than you do._

Professor Flitwick led her through the corridors until they reached one of the classrooms, with its door firmly shut. Professor Flitwick knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, it was opened. A tall, sallow-skinned wizard in his late twenties or so was standing there, looking at Alice with an unreadable expression on his face. Alice shifted uncomfortably. The wizard had a strange way of looking at her - his features barely moved, but it was as if his eyes could see straight through her.

"Is this her?" the man asked Flitwick. Professor Flitwick nodded excitedly.

"Yes, this is Alice Tyler, from my House. She's one of the brightest students in the year, I can assure you her NEWT results will be excellent when they come through."

Alice blushed. She hoped Professor Flitwick was right, she didn't think she could bear it if she had bad results.

The wizard nodded. "Thank you, Filius."

Professor Flitwick smiled and nodded at Alice as the wizard held open the door for her to enter the room. A little nervously, Alice stepped through and the wizard closed the door behind her, shutting out Professor Flitwick.

"Good morning, Miss Tyler," the wizard said, gesturing towards the front of the classroom, where he was sitting behind the teacher's desk. "Have a seat."

Alice sat down apprehensively. What was this all about?

"You may not know me," the man continued, settling himself down in the seat behind the desk. "My name is Broderick Bode."

Alice thought she vaguely recognised the name from somewhere, but she couldn't put her finger on it, so she shook her head.

"Good," Bode smiled. "That means I'm doing my job properly." He leaned back in the chair. "Do you know anything about the Department of Mysteries, Miss Tyler?"

Alice shook her head again. "Well - I've heard of it, of course," she said slowly. "But I thought the whole point was that the general public _don't _know anything about it - what goes on inside, I mean."

"Quite right," Bode replied. "The work we do in the Department of Mysteries is top secret, Miss Tyler. Anyone employed with us must sign a magical binding contract stating that they will not discuss any aspects of their work with anyone at all." He leaned forward again, studying Alice intently. "I am an Unspeakable, Miss Tyler," he continued. "Every year, we speak to one or two students about to leave Hogwarts to see if they are interested in working for us. Filius - Professor Flitwick - has assured me that you are a talented witch, and that you would be an asset to our department. The nature of your work will be strictly confidential." Bode paused for a moment to let his words sink in. "I could tell you a little more about what would be involved, of course - but first you would have to agree to employment with us, pending your NEWT results - and sign the contract." With these words, a quill and a scroll of parchment materialised out of thin air.

Alice swallowed hard, thoughts swimming around in her head. This was a _huge _honour, she knew - hardly anyone leaving Hogwarts was employed by the Department of Mysteries. Her pulse quickened. This was exciting! She would be able to find out what went on in the Department of Mysteries, the biggest secret in the Ministry - and being an Unspeakable paid well, she knew that. Plus the work was bound to be incredibly interesting - she would have to use her mind, discover new things, which she loved to do.

The only problem was the level of secrecy involved. She wouldn't be able to discuss her work with Lily, Holly, James - even her parents.

"What happens if I break the contract?" Alice asked.

"You die," Bode stated simply.

Alice thought for a moment. Could she do this? Would she be able to keep a secret this big? Lily and the others would understand, she knew - but it could put her in great danger from Dark wizards, possibly even You-Know-Who himself...

_You're in danger already, _her thoughts cut in. _You all are. And look at all the secrets you're keeping already, things you've done for Dumbledore..._

"I'll sign," Alice said, her voice calm.

"Excellent," Bode said as Alice took the quill and with slightly shaking hands, signed the parchment. When she had finished, both parchment and quill disappeared in a burst of flame. "Welcome to your new career, Miss Tyler. Now, let me explain to you a little more about your role..."

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"Well?" Lily asked as soon as Alice arrived back into the Great Hall, a little smile on her face. "What was all that about?"

Alice took a deep breath. "You are looking at the newest Unspeakable for the Department of Mysteries!"

Holly let out a squeal. "Wow, Alice - that's a big honour!"

"I know!" Alice could hardly believe it herself. "Well, I've got to get my NEWT results first," she amended.

"You'll do great," Lily assured her.

"I can't talk about my job, though," Alice added, narrowing her eyes at her friends. "So don't ask."

"We weren't going to," Lily said, linking her arm through Alice's. "Come on, let's go and enjoy the rest of the day."

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The last five days before the end of term were hot and sunny. There wasn't a lot for the seventh-years to do now - it was just a waiting game. The three girls spent their days by the lake, or going to Hogsmeade, or just hanging out with the Marauders. Alice couldn't wait to get their NEWT results now - she was ready for the world of work, now she knew what she wanted to do.

The third evening before term ended, Alice was wandering back to Ravenclaw tower after a particularly lazy day with Lily and Holly. As she was walking down the corridor past the Great Hall, she turned a corner and saw Malfoy, Snape, Mulciber and Belinda standing in the middle of the hallway, muttering to each other with their heads bent together.

Alice ducked back around the corner. Luckily the little group hadn't seen her; they were too intent in their discussion. Alice strained her ears, but she couldn't hear; they were too far away. Taking her wand out, she muttered under her breath, pointing her wand at herself. Instantly her hearing was magnified. Alice crouched down and peered around the corner, listening intently.

"... happening tonight?" she heard Snape's voice ask.

"Belinda and I have sorted it all," came Malfoy's reply. "Tonight's the night."

"What about Tyler?" she heard Mucliber's voice. "You know -"

"Miss Tyler, what on earth are you doing down there?"

Alice, crouched in her uncomfortable position on the floor, jumped and fell sideways at the incredibly loud voice that came from behind her. Professor Slughorn was staring down at her curiously.

"Oh, nothing, sir," Alice said hastily, surreptitiously casting the counter-spell on herself as she stood up and straightened her robes.

"Well, run along to bed, then," Slughorn said, wagging his finger at her. "Just because you've only got three days left at school doesn't mean you can't get detention, you know!" He winked at her before striding off.

Alice let out her breath and peered around the corner again. The corridor was empty.

_Damn. _Once again, Professor Slughorn had managed to ruin everything.

But Alice had heard enough. Something was going down tonight, and she was going to be there when it was.

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It took every ounce of self-control for Alice not to confront Belinda the moment she arrived back in the dorm. The other girls were already asleep, Suzanne snoring softly. Belinda was just climbing into bed, and she shot Alice a smirk that made Alice's blood boil.

_You smirk all you want, Belinda, _Alice thought, casting a venemous look at her. _Tonight's the night, is it? Well, tonight's the night I expose you for the nasty little bitch you really are._

Alice had made a quick dash to the Owlery before heading to bed, to send a note to Lily and Holly. Strength in numbers was always the way to go, she figured. Besides, someone could always run for Professor Dumbledore if Belinda and the Slytherins were doing something really awful.

Alice closed her eyes, but she couldn't sleep. She thanked Merlin for that, though; she needed to listen out for Belinda to leave the dorm. She didn't have long to wait, either. Belinda, obviously thinking everyone was asleep, was stirring in her bed. Alice opened her eyes a tiny bit, just in time to see Belinda get out of bed and slip out of the dorm.

Alice pushed her duvet back and got out of bed, too. She gathered a few essentials from her bedside drawer - her wand, of course, and James's map - and had just opened the door when she heard movement from one of the other beds.

Alice froze. Emmeline Vance was stirring; she sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. "Alice?" she whispered, upon seeing Alice standing at the door. "What are you doing?"

Alice groaned inwardly. She had been caught, fully clothed, about to sneak out of the dormitory. "I -" she began, then faltered, crazy excuses running through her mind. Emmeline wasn't stupid; she wasn't going to believe them all.

Emmeline glanced over to Belinda's bed. "Where's Belinda?" she asked.

Alice paused. _Maybe the truth would just be better. After all, people should know what Belinda's up to. _"I don't know," Alice admitted. "But I know she's up to no good. I heard her plotting something with Malfoy, Snape and Mulciber earlier on. Something's going down tonight - and I'm going to stop it."

Emmeline seemed to digest this information. "I'm coming too," she said decidedly, and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"What?" Alice hissed.

"It's the right thing to do, Alice," Emmeline whispered. "I can't just sit around now I know something's going on. I want to help. Besides, Malfoy's had it coming for a long time."

It didn't take Alice long to decide what to do. Emmeline was a very talented witch, and Alice had come to consider her as a friend. "OK," Alice agreed, and waited while Emmeline dressed and grabbed her wand, too.

The two girls crept out of the Ravenclaw common room and along to the portrait of the Fat Lady in front of Gryffindor tower. Lily and Holly were there, waiting for them.

"It's Belinda, and Malfoy and the others," Alice explained, waving the map. "I heard them earlier on this evening, planning something for tonight. They're in the Great Hall."

Lily looked shocked as she peered at the map. "Snape's with them?"

Alice nodded grimly. "Let's go. We can stop them, whatever they're doing."

The girls' numbers now doubled to four, they quietly made their way down corridors, wands lit, checking the map every so often to check if Filch or any teachers were nearby. "I just don't know how they've had time to plan all of this!" Lily commented.

"Oh!" Alice gasped in astonishment as the realisation came crashing over her.

"What?" Lily asked, seeing that Alice had stopped in the middle of the corridor.

"Remember that night that we followed James and the others, and we found out about Remus?" Lily and Holly both nodded. It was all making sense in Alice's head now... "Well, I hadn't gone out intending to follow them. I'd seen Malfoy and Snape in the Entrance Hall... I _knew _they were up to something! How could I have been so stupid?"

"And then Malfoy and Belinda talking..." Holly's voice trailed off.

"They've been planning this stuff for weeks," Alice said grimly. "Come on, let's hurry."

They were almost there before Lily stopped suddenly with a gasp.

"Look," she hissed, pointing at the map. A new dot had just appeared through the front doors to Hogwarts, making its way directly towards them. _Bellatrix Lestrange._

Holly let out a little gasp. "Oh my God, she's a Death Eater, isn't she?"

"Yep," Emmeline said grimly, peering at the map. "She's Narcissa Black's older sister, isn't she? She was a few years older than us, I think she was in her last year at Hogwarts when we were in our first."

Alice vaguely remembered Bellatrix, a tall, dark-haired witch with pale skin and sunken cheekbones. It was well-known that she and her husband, Rodolphus, were followers of You-Know-Who. "How did she get in?"

"Look," Holly pointed. "Rodolphus Lestrange is here, too."

"This is dangerous," Emmeline said urgently. "We need to move, now. We need to go and get Dumbledore."

"We should split up," Alice said at once. "At least then one of us has a chance at getting to his office. Has everyone got their wands?"

Holly looked a bit unsure about splitting up, but nodded anyway.

"OK," Alice said quickly. "Emmeline and I will stick together, and so will you two," she gestured at Lily and Holly. The girls quickly backtracked, away from the advancing figures of Bellatrix and Rodolphus. Lily and Holly went down one corridor, and Alice and Emmeline down the other.

"How did this happen?" Emmeline was asking. "I mean, I knew Belinda was mean, but this is just..."

"Insane," Alice supplied, still studying the map. "Look, they've all left the Hall... damn, Snape's headed this way." She saw the dots labelled Malfoy and Mulciber headed in the direction Lily and Holly were going. "Shit!"

"What should we do?" Emmeline asked.

"You carry on," Alice said. "Look, take the map, someone needs to tell Dumbledore..."

"What about you?" Emmeline cried, looking shocked.

"I can handle Snape," Alice replied. "Hurry, Emmeline, we need help."

Emmeline nodded, looking slightly unhappy, but took the map and headed off down the corridor.

Alice turned back and headed in the direction she had come from. She had her wand pointed out in front of her, ready.

Unfortunately, Snape had the same idea, and had his own out in front of him when the two of them reached each other.

"Tyler!" Snape sneered as Alice came into view. "What are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same thing," Alice replied coolly.

"It's none of your business," Snape snapped. "Keep out of this."

"Oh, I think it is!" Alice was furious. "You've brought Death Eaters into the castle!" Snape flinched.

"Yeah, I know all about it," Alice snarled.

Snape seemed to recover after a second, and let the smirk cross his face again. "You're right, Tyler," he replied. "This is what we've been planning. And now you've just put yourself in danger by coming down here. I thought you Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart?"

"You horrible little creep," Alice spat. "Do you have any idea what you've done? How many _lives _you could be ruining?"

"You think I care about you, Tyler?" Snape asked, scorn in his voice. "Or your arrogant cousin and his friends?"

"Have you forgotten who my best friend is?" Alice snapped, her wand still directed at Snape. "Lily's down here too, you know! You think you'd show some sort of respect for her; the two of you were friends until a couple of years ago! Although I suppose she's just another Mudblood to you now, isn't she? I mean, that's what you brought Death Eaters in here to do, isn't it? Kill the Muggle-borns?"

Snape's expression had changed, however. He was looking horrified. "Lily's here?" he asked in a croak.

Alice eyed him uncertainly. There was something about the expression on his face, he looked...

... scared.

Scared on Lily's behalf? _No, that can't be right, _Alice told herself. Snape hated Muggle-borns, he couldn't be worried for Lily.

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the corridors; Alice's face turned pale. She knew that voice.

Alice took off at once, leaving Snape where he was standing. She skidded into the Great Hall, where she thought the scream had come from, and a horrible sight met her eyes.

A body.

Someone was dead.

And when Alice saw who it was, she let out a scream of her own.

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**A/N: Shouldn't be too hard to guess who it is; and sorry, I've been planning this death ever since I started this story! Next chapter is the LAST ONE! Gonna be really weird not writing this story after so long, but I am writing a sequel!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Here it is! The FINAL CHAPTER! I have spent YEARS of my life working on this story, and I have loved every minute. I can't believe it's over! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with Alice and co until the bitter end! :)**

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The body lay, spread-eagled, arms and legs bent at an unnatural angle, skin pale, blonde hair fanning out behind her head, the big blue eyes open and glassy, the light in them that was once so bright and full of life gone; diminished forever.

Holly.

Someone was screaming, a scream of pure anguish; gut-wrenching, Alice had never heard anything like it in her life. It was Lily, who charged towards the body, grasping Holly's wrist, cradling her head in both hands, whimpering, as if she could somehow bring Holly back. Alice's stomach lurched and she dropped to her knees. Everything was moving in slow motion; she couldn't believe that this was happening. Holly, smart, beautiful Holly, who had her whole bright future ahead of her; someone she had only got to know nine months ago and now considered one of her best friends... how could she have lost her like this?

Someone was laughing, the laughter was ringing out all around the Great Hall. Alice raised her head; Lily, she could see, was waxy white, moaning Holly's name over and over again. Lucius Malfoy and Mulciber were standing a few metres away. Mulciber was the one who was laughing, his nasty little eyes flickering from Holly's body to Lily, knelt on the floor.

"It - it was Bellatrix," Lily choked out, cradling Holly's body and looking up at Alice through tear-stained eyes. "I saw - I was too late to stop her -"

Malfoy's eyes were on Alice, and he had a cold smirk on his face. "What did I tell you, Tyler?" he asked, one pale eyebrow raised. "I told you, one day, I would get you back. And now the Dark Lord will rise to power, and you and your other filthy Mudblood friends will end up like this one here -"

Malfoy's voice was cut off and he was forced to duck as Alice shot a spell at him, narrowly missing his face. Pure, white-hot rage was filtering through every fibre of her being; she wanted to _kill _Malfoy - not just kill him, _torture _him, for letting in the Death Eaters that had murdered Holly. Malfoy had managed to avoid the spell, though, and Alice hesitated slightly. She knew the curse... should she use it?

She didn't have much time to think, though, as Mulciber shot a hex at her. Alice managed to dodge, and then Lily was by her side, firing spells of her own, tears streaming down her face. It wasn't enough, though, and Alice cast her wand aside and charged at the two of them, throwing herself at Mulciber and knocking him to the floor. Her hands scrabbled around wildly, reaching for his throat, but she felt herself being lifted off, and then thrown viciously into the wall. Before she could recover, Malfoy had her arms pinned, a sneer across his face. A glance over his shoulder showed that Mucliber had got to his feet and now had Lily's arms behind her back, his wand pointed at her throat.

Malfoy brought his own wand up to Alice's neck, running the tip along her jawline. Alice glared at him, trying not to flinch. "You brought this on yourself, Tyler," Malfoy whispered, his cold eyes boring into hers. "You could have just behaved as a proper pure-blood should, and you could have ended up with me, instead of in the situation you're in now..."

"I'd rather die," Alice spat. She would be damned if she was going to let Lucius Malfoy intimidate her!

Malfoy's face hardened, and he pressed the tip of his wand into Alice's throat, causing her to catch her breath.

"The two of you need to be taught a lesson," Malfoy snarled. "You're just a Mudblood and a Mudblood lover, and you both need to learn your place."

He raised his wand and Alice squeezed her eyes shut. "Expelliarmus!" came a voice from across the room.

Alice let her eyes fly open again. Emmeline was standing there, her wand pointed. Malfoy's wand had flown across the room.

"Professor Dumbledore, they're in here!" Emmeline shrieked, and then she noticed Holly's body and she clapped her hands across her mouth.

Malfoy looked across at Mulciber and nodded. All of a sudden Malfoy had let go of Alice and thrown her to the floor, where she sprawled, landing next to Holly's body. "No!" she heard Emmeline cry in frustration. "_Stupefy_!" But Emmeline's spell rebounded off the wall. Alice looked up and saw that Malfoy and Mulciber were gone.

Professor Dumbledore came into view, closely followed by Professor McGonagall, who let out a gasp when she saw Holly on the floor.

"They went t-that way," Lily stammered, pointing to the corridor which Malfoy and Mulciber had obviously vanished into.

Dumbledore immediately took off down the corridor, while Professor McGonagall knelt down next to Holly.

"How did this happen?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Alice answered, her voice sounding odd to her own ears; disembodied. "Malfoy and the others - Mulciber, Snape... and Belinda as well... they must have been planning this for weeks."

"Why Holly?" Lily whispered, her voice cracking.

Alice had no answer. Only a truly evil person could have killed such a kind-hearted person as Holly in cold blood, no matter what her blood status was. And as it was turning out, there really were some truly evil people in the world.

Professor Dumbledore was back a few minutes later, empty-handed. "No trace of any of them," he said heavily to Professor McGonagall, whose face clenched in anger.

"Malfoy and the others let them in," Lily said dully. "They must have found a passageway, or something..."

Alice slowly pulled the map out from her pocket. There were a couple of secret passageways that James and the others had discovered on there; they had used them many times. Snape knew where one of them was, she knew - he had followed the Marauders before, and seen Remus's transformation.

Dumbledore's sharp eyes spotted the map in Alice's hands. "I think I'll take that if I may, Miss Tyler," he said quietly, holding out a hand. "After the events of tonight, that map falling into the wrong hands would have devastating consequences."

Alice didn't even argue. She passed the map over to Dumbledore, who pocketed it before turning back to Holly's body. Bending down, he peered closely at Holly's face.

"The killing curse," Lily whispered. "I saw her - Bellatrix, I mean. But I was too late..."

"It's not your fault, Lily," Emmeline said at once. "There was probably nothing we could have done, anyway."

"Probably," Lily said bitterly.

Dumbledore turned from the body to face Alice. His expression was dark. "This is worse than I feared," he said heavily. "Miss Gordon wasn't just killed because she was Muggle-born."

He pointed. The cloak that Holly had been wearing had been removed, and was lying next to her lifeless body on the floor.

Alice furrowed her brow. What was Dumbledore talking about?

"Remember the envelope you picked up for me, Miss Tyler?" Dumbledore asked. Alice nodded. How could she have forgotten? That was her first - and she hoped, only - encounter with the man who would soon become Lord Voldemort.

"The weapon," Alice said quietly. Dumbledore nodded.

"It was being kept by a friend of mine, in which I thought was a safe place," Dumbledore continued. "Unfortunately, it seemed to have a mind of its own... I do believe that Miss Gordon had been in possession of the weapon at the time she was killed, and it was taken from her by Bellatrix Lestrange."

"That's impossible!" Lily cried. "Holly would never have been carrying around a weapon, she just wasn't that type of person."

"Besides," Alice added, "how would she know about it?"

"She didn't," Dumbledore replied. "That's the point. The weapon was something that nobody would ever know was a weapon, unless you knew what you were looking for. Miss Gordon had no idea that she even had the weapon at all."

"That's even worse!" Lily burst out, tears shining in her eyes again. "Holly was killed for something that wasn't her fault; for something she didn't even _know _about! Why didn't they just take it from her and let her live?"

"Because that is what Death Eaters do," McGonagall spoke quietly. "This is evil in its purest form."

"What was the weapon?" Alice asked.

Dumbledore shook his head. "It's better that none of you know. That way, you won't be targeted, like Miss Gordon was."

Alice narrowed her eyes. After all that had happened, all that she had been through, to retrieve the weapon, all her efforts had been for nothing - Bellatrix Lestrange had it, and now Holly was dead. It would have been better if she had just left it where it was in the first place!

"Oh, my God," Lily said in a hushed voice, looking over to Alice. "How are we going to tell Remus?"

A lump began to form in Alice's throat. She hadn't even thought about Remus! Or Holly's parents... how were they going to react?

Dumbledore levitated Holly's body into the air. "Minerva, please send an owl to Miss Gordon's parents," he said quietly. "Then notify the Aurors at once. We want to whole school to be searched, to make sure that nobody is still lurking." He looked over to Alice, Lily and Emmeline. "Miss Tyler, Miss Evans, Miss Vance... I think it would be wise to go and wake Mr Lupin, and inform him of what has happened."

Lily nodded, gulping back her tears. The three girls began making their way back to the Gryffindor tower.

They walked in silence, unable to say anything. Alice was still in shock. She couldn't believe the events that had taken place over the past hour. How could this have happened? Was it all her fault? She had led her friends into danger, she knew that Malfoy and the others had been planning something awful. She should have just told Dumbledore and let him deal with it, not chased after them so rashly and got the others involved.

They arrived at the portrait; Alice and Emmeline stuffed their fingers in their ears as Lily repeated the password for the tower, and then the three girls climbed through the portrait hole.

Lily awoke James first when they got to the dormitories, and he sat up in shock. "What the bloody hell are you doing in here?" he whispered, scowling at Alice and Emmeline. "You're Ravenclaws, you're not supposed to be in here!"

Once he had spoken, though, he noticed how waxy white Alice was and the tearstains on Lily's face. "What's happened?" he asked urgently, getting out of bed.

"Wake the others," Alice said dully. "We need to tell you something."

The seven of them grouped together in the Gryffindor common room, and Alice decided not to beat around the bush. She turned to Remus, her voice wobbling, and said, "Holly's dead."

Remus's face twisted in horror, his mouth fell open. "What?" Sirius asked, grabbing Alice by the arm. "How?"

"There were Death Eaters, in the castle," Emmeline said quickly. "Bellatrix Lestrange… she killed Holly."

"HOW could you have let this happen? What the _fuck _were you all doing running around with Death Eaters in the castle?" Sirius asked furiously. Alice flung his hand from her arm and glared at him.

"How did they get in here?" James asked, his voice sounding strangled.

"We don't know," Lily said quietly. "Snape was with them – we think he must have told them how to get in. Malfoy was there, too, and he tried to kill Alice, and me."

"Snape!" James clenched his fists. "What have I been telling you all these years, Lily? Haven't I told you he wasn't to be trusted? I knew something like this would happen, that absolute git…"

"I know that now, James!" Lily snapped. "I haven't been friends with Snape for two years!"

"What the hell possessed you to follow them?" Sirius shouted. "What were you all thinking? You're lucky it was just Holly that was killed!"

Alice slapped him hard in the face. Sirius reeled back, stunned. "Lucky?" Alice shrieked. "How dare you say that, Sirius Black!"

"Stop it, please!" Emmeline begged.

"Yes, stop it."

It was Remus that had spoken, and all eyes turned to him.

"Holly wouldn't have wanted us to be arguing like this!" he said, only a slight tremble in his voice. "Her friendship with all of us meant everything to her. If she knew we were turning on each other like this…"

"He's right," Peter, who had been silent this whole time, squeaked. "Friendship is the most important thing."

Alice nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Sirius."

"I'm sorry, too," Sirius said at once. "Of course none of you meant anything like this to happen… we would have done the same if we had been down there."

"Dumbledore is owling Holly's parents tonight," Lily said, shaking her head. "I just can't believe it."

The little group stood in silence for a moment, until James spoke. "We should probably all get some sleep."

"I can't go back to that dorm," Alice said bitterly. "Not knowing that I used to share it with that backstabbing, disgusting little bitch… I wonder if her friends were in on it, too? What do you think, Emmeline?"

"I'm sure they weren't," Emmeline said quietly. "They're just her little lackeys. I doubt she'd have let them in on anything like this."

"You can stay in our dorm," James offered. "I don't think Dumbledore would mind, after what has just happened…"

None of them wanted to sleep alone, so Alice Transfigured some of the cushions into sleeping bags and larger pillows. She, Lily and Emmeline huddled together on the floor of the boys' dorm, and fell into a fitful sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A week later and the seventh years were preparing to leave Hogwarts. It was their last day, and also happened to be the day of Holly's funeral.

"She should be here celebrating with us," Alice said dully at breakfast time.

The last week had passed in a bit of a blur. Aurors had come and gone, wanting to speak with the three girls about the events that had happened. Holly's parents had visited the school, and Alice and Lily had hugged them both and spoke about what a lovely girl Holly had been. Malfoy, Snape, Mulciber and Belinda had vanished without a trace. So had Bellatrix, and nothing had been heard about Lord Voldemort. Alice knew it wouldn't be long, though. He had what he wanted now. And most of all, Alice and Lily had cried more tears than Alice had ever thought she could cry in her life.

"We can celebrate her life for her today," Lily replied, squeezing Alice's arm.

The funeral was to take place right after breakfast, and all the school were invited. The service was to take place in the school grounds, by the lake, which was one of Holly's favourite places.

"I don't know if I can do this," Alice whispered to Lily, as the students began filing out of the hall.

Lily's face was a mask. "We can," she said at once. "We can do it for Holly."

Alice took a deep breath and nodded as everyone began to assemble in the seats that were laid out for them.

Holly's parents took it in turns to read, and their words brought both smiles and tears to Alice's eyes. Holly had been so full of life, such a happy, positive person. She knew Holly would want them to be celebrating her life, not mourning her death.

Then Professor Dumbledore stepped up to the podium, and Alice held her breath.

"Holly Gordon was everything a true Gryffindor should be," Dumbledore spoke calmly. "She was brave, loyal to her friends, and an asset to this school. She was one of the most kind-hearted students I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and she was determined to see the good in everyone. She always looked on the bright side of life." Here he paused, and met Alice's eyes across the crowds.

"That's why I am asking you all today to look on the bright side of life. Celebrate Holly's life, and be thankful for your own. Count your blessings. I know that Holly Gordon will leave a gap in a lot of people's hearts, and she will be truly missed by everyone."

His speech over, Dumbledore nodded to Alice, and music started to play. Alice let the tears fall from her eyes as the casket was carried down the centre of the chairs, not wanting to accept that Holly's body was inside it.

After the funeral was over, Lily looked at Alice. "Shall we go?" she asked, her eyes still full of tears.

Alice nodded. "I'll be there in a second. You go on."

Lily walked away, but Alice stood for a minute, waiting until the crowds had thinned and she was the only one left sitting. She bowed her head, wanting some private time to speak to Holly inside her head.

_Thank you, Holly. Thank you for showing me what it was to be a true friend. Thank you for always being the one person who never judged me, no matter how stupid my actions were. Thank you for being there for us, for being the most loyal, kind-hearted person I ever knew._

Swallowing back her tears, Alice stood up and went over to join her friends, who were standing a little way away.

It had taken time, and a lot of effort. So much had happened over the last year, Alice mused, looking around at her somber friends. James, her only cousin, the closest thing she'd had to a brother - had finally got the girl he had been in love with for five years. And that girl was no other than Alice's best friend. Alice looked over at the two of them - James cradling Lily to his chest, tears rolling silently down the redhead's face. Even on a tragic day such as this, Alice couldn't help but see how well they fit together, and how much they loved each other. Alice hoped she would find that someday.

Alice switched her gaze over to Remus and Peter, who were standing with their arms around each other. Peter had changed a little, too - had come out of his shell more, seemed a little less timid. Alice still wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing, but at least he seemed a little more sure of himself. As for Remus - his face was ashen, his features blank. Alice wasn't sure how long it would take him to get over this - if he would _ever _get over this, as she knew she herself wouldn't. But she knew one thing for sure - Holly wouldn't want them to spend the rest of their lives grieving. That was the kind of person she had been - completely and utterly selfless, the most kind hearted person Alice had ever met.

Alice felt an arm round her shoulders, and smiled up at Sirius. For the second time in less than two months, he was comforting her at a funeral. Who would have thought? In the past year the two of them had gone from being barely acquaintances to mortal enemies to actual friends. That, for Alice, was the most astonishing part of all - that someone who she had originally thought was an arrogant, uncaring bastard had suddenly become someone she considered a friend; someone she could _rely _on. At the end of the day, that was the most important thing, she thought as she looked around. That the six of them were all friends, and that friendship was something that would last a lifetime. These were the people she would fight for, she would stay loyal to, and she would die for - just as Holly had done for them.

Alice stepped away from Sirius and put her hand out. "I think we should make a pact, for Holly," she said, her voice ringing out clearly, calmer than she had expected. "That we all look out for each other, we stay loyal to each other, and help each other through the hard times. It's what she would have wanted."

Remus was the first person to move, he nodded and put his hand over Alice's. "Friendship is the most important thing," he agreed. "Holly did so much for her friends, and so should we."

One by one James, Sirius, Lily and Peter all put their hands on top of Alice's and Remus's, murmuring their approval. Alice felt tears spring to her eyes, but this time they were of hope, not sadness. She smiled around at her friends. This was a day of mourning, but also of new hope - there were dark times ahead, but no matter what Voldemort and his followers had planned next, she knew she could get through it, as long as she and her friends stayed true to each other.

Sirius broke the silence. "I don't know about you guys, but I could really use a shot of Firewhisky," he kidded, making the others laugh a little.

"Hogsmeade?" Lily suggested, slipping one arm through James's and the other through Alice's.

Alice nodded in agreement, and the six of them stepped out of the gates and headed for the village. _It was going to be alright._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

**A/N: The end... or is it? ;) I have started work on a sequel... oh, come on, it had to be done! I would miss these characters too much ;) the sequel will be entitled Aftermath, and it will be told from Lily's point of view instead of Alice's. I have left a few unanswered questions at the end of this story which will all be revealed in the sequel :) I'm not sure when the first chapter will be up, as I think I ought to dedicate a little of my time to my other chaptered fic, Forgiveness, but it shouldn't be too long. I will probably be cranking out a few one-shots as well, seeing as I have got back in the mix :) feel free to check out my other stories if you want to, and thanks so much for reading (if you read this far!)**


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